The Elf Marc VDS Racing Team concludes an intense five race flyaway tour this weekend with Tony Arbolino and Filip Salac fired up for the Malaysian Grand Prix at the long and technical Sepang International Circuit.

• Arbolino and Salac are full of motivation and determination to bounce back from a Buriram Grand Prix in Thailand last week in which both were denied the chance to show their high potential through bad luck.
• The Malaysian Grand Prix gets underway at 950am local time on Friday morning with the 17-lap race scheduled to start at 1315pm on Sunday afternoon.

/// TONY ARBOLINO

• Luck was certainly not on the side of Arbolino in Thailand last week as the Italian left Buriram empty handed following a first lap incident instigated by another rider.
• This weekend’s action in Sepang presents the perfect opportunity for the 24-year-old to get back in the hunt for success at a track where he won from second on the grid in 2022 after a tense showdown with Ai Ogura.
• Arbolino’s victory in Sepang two years ago is one of four top 10 finishes in his last four visits to the 5.5km track, which includes a strong ride to 10^th position last season.

“I’m sure we can reach a high level in Sepang”

“I feel ready for a strong weekend in Malaysia even though from a physical perspective it is going to be tough because of the short amount of time to recover from the two incidents in Thailand. I think we made a good step with the bike in Buriram and that makes me confident we can reach a very high level in Sepang. Mentally I feel great and I’m ready to finish this season in the best way possible.”

/// FILIP SALAC

• The Czech rider produced a remarkable recovery from the back of the pack to 14^th at the chequered flag in a rain affected Thai Grand Prix after he too was caught in the opening lap tangle involving teammate Arbolino.
• Salac has raced three times in Malaysia and his best result to date is an 11^th place finish in his rookie Moto2 campaign back in 2022.
• The 22-year-old has finished inside the top 15 in every appearance so far in Sepang, which includes 14^th last season in typically scorching heat and humidity.

“I’m confident our potential is high”

“Sepang is a track that I really like a lot, and I have high hopes of being able to finish with a strong result. We found a really good set-up with the bike in Buriram and I’m confident if I have the same feeling in Malaysia that our potential is high. We just need a bit more luck after what happened on the first lap in Buriram, but it would  be great to finish this very intense run of flyaway races with a positive result to take to the final round in Valencia.”