After conclusion of a highly interesting opening round for car competitions in the Malaysia Championship Series (MCS) last weekend, it is now the turn of the top Malaysian riders to show off their skills against their international counterparts for Round 1 of the Pirelli Malaysia Superbike Championship (MSBK) at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) this weekend.
The MSBK, will feature Pirelli as the tyre partner for five rounds throughout the year before crowning the overall champions at the final round in November for a host of categories – the Superbike Championship, the 1000cc Superstock Championship, the 600cc Supersport Championship, the 250cc class, the Moto3-GP class  and a newly-introduced KTM RC one-make race.Â
“This is a new addition to the MSBK. We have always continually introduced new initiatives to liven up the series and making it more appealing for the competitors and our partners. For the KTM RC will be competed on KTM RC390 machines with three classes of competition – Orange, Silver and Bronze in ensuring a level playing field for the competitors. More importantly, we want the competitors to have fun and enjoy themselves,” said SIC Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Razlan Razali. Â
While the Orange class will feature riders between 14 and 22 years old and competing on KTM RC390, the Silver class will be for the RC390 bikes and without any age limit. The Bronze class, on the other han, will feature KTM RC250 and KTM200 machines and open to riders. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
The other categories will crown two overall champions – Class A and B where competitors will be graded according to competition license and individual track record. In a nutshell, Class A is for the expert riders and Class B for the novices.Â
For the third edition of the MSBK, SIC – promoter and organizer of the MSBK has decided to offer a different kind of challenge for the riders by hosting the opening round on the South Track, which now housed a new race control tower and pit building that was opened for last year’s Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix.Â
“We are confident that the MSBK riders will truly enjoy their new experience in tackling the South Track, which provides an entirely different kind of challenge for the riders. Not that the riders will have double the number of laps to cover with the race being half track, they will have less straights and more tight corners to manage,” Dato’ Razlan added.
While Round 2 and 3 will return to a full track format, Round 4, which is scheduled from 15 to 17 September, will run half-track; but around the Northern Track  that will emphasis more on fast turns and longer straights as compared to the South Track. The final leg and Round 5, which is scheduled from 24 to 26 November, will be a full-track affair.Â
 Fans will not only be able to catch all the actions for free from the Main Grandstand; but will also be allowed to park their cars and bikes inside the Mall Area at no charge.Â
“Like what we did for the MCS last weekend, fans can also catch the actions live as we are making the races available for their enjoyment through live-streaming on SIC Official Facebook page and Youtube,” Dato’ Razlan added.
For fans who want to be closer to the actions, the Paddock pass will provide access to the exclusive paddock areas to the bike series for just RM85. While with an investment of just RM265 including GST, fans can get a full package Paddock Season Card that will allow them to enjoy the actions from the paddock for all rounds of the Pirelli MSBK, MCS, the Sepang 1000KM Endurance (S1K) and Motul Sepang 12 Hours. Â Â Â Â
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PIRELLI MALAYSIA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP (MSBK) 2017 Â Â
ROUND 1: 17 – 19 MARCH 2017
ROUND 2: 28 – 30 APRIL 2017
ROUND 3: 28 – 30 JULY 2017
ROUND 4: 15 – 17 SEPTEMBER 2017
ROUND 5: 24 – 26 NOVEMBER 2017Â
