Simón edges Smith in thrilling 125cc encounter

A close battle between Julián Simón and Bradley Smith at the Shell Advance Malaysian Grand Prix was won by the freshly-crowned World Champion, as he beat his Bancaja Aspar team-mate in a final-lap fight.

The duo, who battled closely at Phillip Island last weekend, again crossed swords as Simón held Smith’s challenge off on the last corner of the Sepang circuit. The Brit’s placing secured second position in this year’s World Championship as well, despite a broken metatarsal bone in his right foot from a qualifying crash on Saturday.

Pol Espargaró (Derbi Racing Team) completed the podium, coming in at just over five seconds behind Smith, with Sergio Gadea (Bancaja Aspar) and Nico Terol (Jack & Jones Team) also inside the top five.

Danny Webb’s poor luck with crashes continued as he high-sided at the first hairpin, the Degraaf Grand Prix rider taking out Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing), whilst Efrén Vázquez (Derbi Racing Team) also crashed out. Simone Corsi (Fontana Racing) was in fourth when a late spill ended his participation.

A mechanical problem also curtailed pole position holder Marc Márquez’s race, with the Red Bull KTM rider forced to retire when his engine seized up.