1992 - The double 500cc World Champion Wayne Rainey began the 1992 season looking to fight for a third consecutive title. However, a young Mick Doohan had impressively won the first two races of the year in Japan and Australia on the Honda with the new "Big Bang" engine. At the Malaysian GP at the Shah Alam circuit, Doohan looked to continue his great form while Rainey would do everything in his power to halt the progress of his Australian rival.
The Malaysian round with its unpredictable weather conditions would also provide a great opportunity for the Spanish riders of the era, with the brave rookie Alex Criville (Honda) and the legendary Juan Garriga (Yamaha) looking for a first podium in the class. The race saw the riders put on a great show for the fans on their two-stroke 500cc beasts.
2006 - After a season in which he had achieved two wins and great consistency throughout the campaign, Nicky Hayden (Honda) went into the 13th round of the season in Malaysia leading the MotoGP™ standings on 201 points. Almost 40 points behind was the defending champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), who in a season marked by crashes and mechanical problems was in danger of letting his title slip away after five years of dominance. Far from throwing the towel in the Italian went all out for victory in Sepang while Hayden gave it the maximum to maintain his podium form and keep his rival at bay.
The race in Malaysia also would witness a great performance by Dani Pedrosa (Honda) in his first season in the premier class. In addition, the stunning power of the Ducati ridden by Loris Capirossi made it a force to be reckoned with in the last season of 990cc MotoGP™ era.
2015 - Last year the fight for the MotoGP™ title between Valentino Rossi and his teammate Jorge Lorenzo reached boiling point at Sepang. After an epic Australian round a week earlier in Phillip Island, the gap between the two Yamaha riders was down to just 11 points with two races of the season remaining. However, some controversial allegations about Marc Marquez (Honda) by Rossi during the Thursday press conference added fuel to the fire, with things coming to a head on race day in spectacular style. The race would end up having a huge impact on the destiny of the 2015 MotoGP™ title.