Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the most pleasant, hassle-free countries to visit in Southeast Asia.

It's buoyant and wealthy, and has moved towards a pluralist culture based on a vibrant and interesting fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous cultures and customs.

- Read more destination guides with Lonely Planet

Date: 19 October 2008
Venue: Sepang
Track length: 5548m
Laps: 21
Race length: 116.508km

Always hot and humid for the riders, Sepang will often experience short, sharp showers in the afternoon which makes the racing more interesting and demanding. It is also a circuit of extremes because of a complicated layout; some corners are taken at less than 60kmh whereas speeds above 300kmh can be achieved on the two straights. The technical demands of the circuit combined with the weather conditions make Malaysia one of the toughest races of the year.

MotoGP 2008 racing calendar