 1 Friday 19 October 2012 Friday morning and we catch a (very early) 20 minute flight to Kuala Lumpur. We have breakfast at Singapore airport. |
 2 Friday 19 October 2012 We get to the track in time for MotoGP morning free practice FP1. We walk past the garages on the main straight and spot Marc Marquez' bike |
 3 Friday 19 October 2012 Casey Stoner heads for the track. He isn't feeling too well having broken his foot at Indianapolis in August |
 4 Friday 19 October 2012 Andrea Dovizioso, Italy, on his satellite Yamaha M1. He rode for the Tech 3 team in 2012. |
 5 Friday 19 October 2012 Valentino Rossi exits turn 13 while Randy de Puniet (14) looks behind. The other bike (77) is ridden by James Elilison on a CRT bike (Claiming Rule Team) |
 6 Friday 19 October 2012 Rossi is riding for the factory Ducati team. The bike is awful and in this, his second year, he still has not won a race. |
 7 Friday 19 October 2012 Michele Pirro, Italy (51) rides his Gresini Honda down the back straight. It is a CRT bike with a Honda street bike engine fitted to an FTR chassis made in England. |
 8 Friday 19 October 2012 Texas Tornado Colin Edwards USA (5) on his NGM Mobile Forward Racing CRT bike. It has a BMW engine fitted to a Swiss made Suter chassis. |
 9 Friday 19 October 2012 Nicky Hayden, USA (69) rides a factory Ducati. Although he usually qualifies better than Rossi on the other Ducati, he does not score as well in the races. The bike behind is a CRT ridden by Yonny Hernandez, Columbia (68). It is powered by a Kawasaki engine in an FTR chassis. |
 10 Friday 19 October 2012 Current World Champion Casey Stoner, Australia (1) on a factory team Honda RC212V. |
 11 Friday 19 October 2012 This is Robbie Rolfo Italy (84) on an Aprilia CRT. Robbie crashed badly during FP2 and took no further part in the weekend. |
 12 Friday 19 October 2012 Cal Crutchlow, England (35) rides the second of two Yamaha M1 satellite bikes. He looks behind to get out of the way of Dani Pedrosa, Spain (26) on a factory team Honda RC211V. |
 13 Friday 19 October 2012 Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (99) on a factory team Yamaha M1. In 2012 there are six factory team bikes and six satellite bikes with the rest of the grid composed of CRT bikes. |
 14 Friday 19 October 2012 Lorenzo's team mate is Ben Spies, USA (11) on the other factory team Yamaha M1. |
 15 Friday 19 October 2012 It is customary at the end of a practice session to do a practice start. For safety reasons, practice starts are permitted only at a designated point on the track. |
 16 Friday 19 October 2012 In the race he crashed after 5 laps and badly damaged his shoulder. He had a dreadful year, a lot of it down to pure, dumb, bad luck. |
 17 Friday 19 October 2012 Andea Dovizioso does a practice start with Stefan Bradl, Germany (6). Stefan rides an LCR Honda RC211V satellite bike. Satellite bikes are not quite the same as factory team bikes as they are usually a little behind with modifications during the racing season. |
 18 Friday 19 October 2012 Jorge does a practice start. |
 19 Friday 19 October 2012 As do others. |
 20 Friday 19 October 2012 Rossi does a practice start and is photographed by the track marshalls. |
 21 Friday 19 October 2012 2012 was his final fruitless year on the Ducati before rushing back to Yamaha. |
 22 Friday 19 October 2012 We then walk down to the very end of the two straights to turn 14. |
 23 Friday 19 October 2012 Our intention is to watch the Moto2 free practice. Moto2 bikes all have a Honda 600cc engine, supplied by Honda, in chassis supplied by independent manufacturers. |
 24 Friday 19 October 2012 Allesandro Andreozzi, Italy (22) - Speed Up chassis made in Italy. Speed Up started manufacturing in 2012. |
 25 Friday 19 October 2012 Alex De Angelis (15), San Marino, FTR chassis. |
 26 Friday 19 October 2012 Nico Terol (18) Spain, Swiss-made Suter chassis. |
 27 Friday 19 October 2012 Jesko Reffin (20) Switzerland Kalex, rides on the outside of Simone Corsi (3) Spain on his FTR |
 28 Friday 19 October 2012 Moto2 is characterised by extreme lean angles and hanging off the bike so far that the riders' elbows scrape the ground (with titanium elbow sliders). This is Ricky Cardus (88) Spain, AJR chassis built in Spain |
 29 Friday 19 October 2012 Thomas Luthi (12) Switzerland, Suter. |
 30 Friday 19 October 2012 Mika Kallio (36) Finland, Kalex chassis made in Germany. Mika is one of the older riders in the Moto2 class at 30 years old. |
 31 Friday 19 October 2012 Nico Terol again. |
 32 Friday 19 October 2012 Marc Marquez (3) Spain, Suter, is currently leading the championship. He is followed by Axel Pons (49) Spain on his Kalex while Ricky Cardus runs wide. |
 33 Friday 19 October 2012 Marquez and Axel Pons. Marquez is riding a Suter but he was so dominant this year he could have won on any of the better chassis. |
 34 Friday 19 October 2012 Jordi Torres at 180cm always looks too big for a Moto2 bike |
 35 Friday 19 October 2012 Johan Zarco (5) France, riding a Motobi chassis made by FTR for the Japan Italy Racing team. |
 36 Friday 19 October 2012 We are standing on the first level at the grandstand at turn 14. This view is looking down the main straight. |
 37 Friday 19 October 2012 We move up to the top level of the grandstand. This is Yuki Takahashi (72) Japan, FTR chassis. |
 38 Friday 19 October 2012 Takaaki Nakagami (30) Japan, Kalex. |
 39 Friday 19 October 2012 Axel Pons follows Tito Rabat through turn 14. Axel is the son of Sito Pons, a former double World Champion in the 250cc class. |
 40 Friday 19 October 2012 Tito Rabat is currently 7th in the world championship standings. |
 41 Friday 19 October 2012 Johan Zarco slows down at turn 14. See the Rising sun on his helmet? |
 42 Friday 19 October 2012 Marcell Schrotter (23) Germany follows Marquez through the corner. Schrotter's chassis was made by Bimota in Italy |
 43 Friday 19 October 2012 Valentino Rossi is popular in every country in the world as this South African couple show. |
 44 Friday 19 October 2012 Rossi gear is extremely expensive and the stuff they're wearing and using is probably a couple of thousand dollar's worth |
