The Sepang MotoGP: Things you should know
My partner and I recently went over to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to watch the 2018 MotoGP race at Sepang. We went on the advice that this particular race is the cheapest way to see live MotoGP action, particularly so for those of us in Perth.
Despite a modest amount of research, there were many things I wish I had known prior to setting off. If anyone is planning a similar trip next year, I sincerely hope this short write-up is useful.
1. Accomodation
Book early. If you're seeing KL, book in KL. If you're going just for the GP, book near the GP. Some hotels offer a reasonably-priced bus shuttle service, which I wholeheartedly recommend. Communication, however, is not a strong point. You can't assume anything they say is a) correct and b) will make sense when you get there. Be direct and get precise locations and answers where you can, otherwise it will be a nightmare.
4. Tourism
Chinatown is much the same. If you're not looking to buy, don't even bother going to see this place. The Central Markets, on the other hand, were much less oppressive and quite pleasant to wander.
Museum of Malaysia (/Malaysia National Museum): Four major rooms, each containing a different period of history. These dated back to ancient times, with neolithic monuments and skeletons, to colonial, industrial, and recent eras. For someone unfamiliar with the history, it was reasonably interesting. It was also air conditioned.
National Police Museum: We stopped by here due to its locality ot the park, and it's wonderful air conditioning. It's free to enter, and the exhibits are generally well-done and interesting. There's a room full of firearms (inc. many makeshift ones made during various revolutions) which was quite interesting.
A bit of research might suggest 16 MYR is the going price for a pint of beer, but expect to pay approximately 30 MYR at most populated venues.
Despite a modest amount of research, there were many things I wish I had known prior to setting off. If anyone is planning a similar trip next year, I sincerely hope this short write-up is useful.
1. Accomodation
Book early. If you're seeing KL, book in KL. If you're going just for the GP, book near the GP. Some hotels offer a reasonably-priced bus shuttle service, which I wholeheartedly recommend. Communication, however, is not a strong point. You can't assume anything they say is a) correct and b) will make sense when you get there. Be direct and get precise locations and answers where you can, otherwise it will be a nightmare.
2. Transport
Trains are usually cheap. Usually being a keyword. If you stay anywhere on the KLIA Transit line, however, trains are not cheap. This line is the local equivalent of the airport express in Sydney, which is extortionately priced. On most of the lines, trains can cost several ringgit per stop, but expect to pay triple that for the KLIA line. We made frequent use of the local Uber/Ola/Ridesharing app called "Grab", which, coupled with the SIM card you'll pick up in the next section, was pretty useful.
3. Communications
Buy a SIM card. They are cheap, and everywhere. If you don't pick one up at the airport, they're available in most convenience stores too. They're much cheaper than AU and have plans of all lengths. You'll need your passport on-hand to confirm your identity, but otherwise the attendants (if they're good people!) can do the majority of the process for you (inc. SIM insert, activation, etc).
If you google "Things to See in Kuala Lumpur", you'll get a fairly good idea of - wait for it - things to see in KL. Unfortunately, you can see all of these in a day, two at most. Additionally, most of these "things to see" are shopping centres.Admittedly, these are impressive, but if you're like us and had no interest in shopping, they're at least useful for the well air conditioned areas.
Chinatown is much the same. If you're not looking to buy, don't even bother going to see this place. The Central Markets, on the other hand, were much less oppressive and quite pleasant to wander.
Museum of Malaysia (/Malaysia National Museum): Four major rooms, each containing a different period of history. These dated back to ancient times, with neolithic monuments and skeletons, to colonial, industrial, and recent eras. For someone unfamiliar with the history, it was reasonably interesting. It was also air conditioned.
National Police Museum: We stopped by here due to its locality ot the park, and it's wonderful air conditioning. It's free to enter, and the exhibits are generally well-done and interesting. There's a room full of firearms (inc. many makeshift ones made during various revolutions) which was quite interesting.
Batu Caves - This religious centre is build into the caves of a limestone system. Geologically, very impressive. But, do be aware this is a religious hotspot, and despite all of the trash strewn about the place, you will need to dress appropriately to enter the main cave. This means hiring appropriate coverings at the gate. We saw the 'side' cave, which was reasonably impressive, but being denied entry to the main cave was very disappointing.
5. Beer
The connotation for south-east asian countries is usually cheap beer. Cheap everything, in fact. Everything just costs less thanks to whatever socio-economic powers be. Unfortunately, in Malaysia, this is not true for beer.
Your gut instinct is probably saying:
"Of course Alex, it's a majority muslim country and good muslims don't drink beer, you idiot!"
Sure, I'll accept that. My counter argument is that, why is it so expensive in Singapore then? Literally, the tail-end of Malaysia has the world's most diverse set of religious beliefs. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Singapore)
What about the cost of living?
Singapore received a cost-of-living rating of 194. For reference Sydney is 200, while Perth is 154. Malaysia, is a meagre 85. According to expatistan.com, the cost of living in Kuala Lumpur is 45% cheaper than Perth! (https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/index)
A bit of research might suggest 16 MYR is the going price for a pint of beer, but expect to pay approximately 30 MYR at most populated venues.
6. The Racing
Finally!
The good stuff.
I'd bought us tickets for the Valentino Rossi grandstand at Turn 1. The location was excellent, being able to see both the main straight and one of the faster braking zones. We got to see most of the action, and under some pretense of cover from the sun and rain too.
If you haven't seen a race before, I wholeheartedly recommend going to all three days. On the first two days (qualifying and free practice) you're free to move about the circuit as you please - meaning you can check out the view from many different locations. The qualifying usually comes with some great riding too and is interesting to watch. There are also events on-track between sessions which was interesting to watch.
A portable FM radio improved the entire experience for me considerably. There were large screens showing the televised footage, but without audio (at least, audible audio). Being able to hear the commentary was fantastic. If possible, buy good-quality and sealing earphones, as the race noise is immense and amplifies within the grandstand.
Many of the leading motorcycle manufacturers have (air conditioned) tents as well. It's a great opportunity to check out the latest models and gear. Not sure about buying anything on the spot though, seems a little irresponsible. You can however get up close to previous years motoGP race bikes, and there's merchandise galore.
This was a fairly straightforward race - Marquez didn't make pole, so there was a good percentage of the race where he wasn't winning - until Rossi crashed (in front of his grandstand) to forfeit first place in the race, and second place in the championship to Dovi. See here for full writeup: https://www.crash.net/motogp/race-report/909785/1/marquez-eases-sepang-win-following-rossi-fall
The Moto2 and Moto3 were also excellent. Infact, I enjoyed them more so than the actual MotoGP. People swarmed in for the MotoGP (and only the MotoGP), packing the stands to the point that people occupied the aisles. There were simply no seats left. Naturally, everyone had to stand up to celebrate every single lap Rossi accomplished (and Syafarin, the local rider too). This obstructed the view for those of us who didn't want to stand and had spent the last couple of days finding the best seat to watch from. More fool me. If you can, sit in the front-most row and brave the oppressive weather. It'll be worth it come race time.
7. The Costs
Overall, this trip (two people for 7 days) costs us approximately 2100 AUD. I think we'd be lucky to get tickets and flights to Philip Island for that much, excluding accommodation and food. Plus we got to experience Malaysia.
Flight There: ~570AUD (1684 MYR)
Accomodation (7 days): ~511 AUD (1512 MYR) (+ taxes)
MotoGP Tickets: 71 AUD (209 MYR)
Flight Home: Scoot, 520 AUD (1538 MYR) (Brief stop in Singapore)
Travel Insurance: 81 AUD
Other (Food/Drinks/etc): ~300 AUD (~1200 MYR)
So, would I recommend it?
Absolutely. It was an amazing experience and I got to see/hear/feel the MotoGP atmosphere first hand. There's nothing quite like it.
Would I go back?
Not a chance. It's hot, humid, and riddled with some fairly serious societal issues. (see https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/malaysia#)
On that note, thanks for reading!
Finally!
The good stuff.
I'd bought us tickets for the Valentino Rossi grandstand at Turn 1. The location was excellent, being able to see both the main straight and one of the faster braking zones. We got to see most of the action, and under some pretense of cover from the sun and rain too.
If you haven't seen a race before, I wholeheartedly recommend going to all three days. On the first two days (qualifying and free practice) you're free to move about the circuit as you please - meaning you can check out the view from many different locations. The qualifying usually comes with some great riding too and is interesting to watch. There are also events on-track between sessions which was interesting to watch.
A portable FM radio improved the entire experience for me considerably. There were large screens showing the televised footage, but without audio (at least, audible audio). Being able to hear the commentary was fantastic. If possible, buy good-quality and sealing earphones, as the race noise is immense and amplifies within the grandstand.
Many of the leading motorcycle manufacturers have (air conditioned) tents as well. It's a great opportunity to check out the latest models and gear. Not sure about buying anything on the spot though, seems a little irresponsible. You can however get up close to previous years motoGP race bikes, and there's merchandise galore.
This was a fairly straightforward race - Marquez didn't make pole, so there was a good percentage of the race where he wasn't winning - until Rossi crashed (in front of his grandstand) to forfeit first place in the race, and second place in the championship to Dovi. See here for full writeup: https://www.crash.net/motogp/race-report/909785/1/marquez-eases-sepang-win-following-rossi-fall
The Moto2 and Moto3 were also excellent. Infact, I enjoyed them more so than the actual MotoGP. People swarmed in for the MotoGP (and only the MotoGP), packing the stands to the point that people occupied the aisles. There were simply no seats left. Naturally, everyone had to stand up to celebrate every single lap Rossi accomplished (and Syafarin, the local rider too). This obstructed the view for those of us who didn't want to stand and had spent the last couple of days finding the best seat to watch from. More fool me. If you can, sit in the front-most row and brave the oppressive weather. It'll be worth it come race time.
7. The Costs
Overall, this trip (two people for 7 days) costs us approximately 2100 AUD. I think we'd be lucky to get tickets and flights to Philip Island for that much, excluding accommodation and food. Plus we got to experience Malaysia.
Flight There: ~570AUD (1684 MYR)
Accomodation (7 days): ~511 AUD (1512 MYR) (+ taxes)
MotoGP Tickets: 71 AUD (209 MYR)
Flight Home: Scoot, 520 AUD (1538 MYR) (Brief stop in Singapore)
Travel Insurance: 81 AUD
Other (Food/Drinks/etc): ~300 AUD (~1200 MYR)
So, would I recommend it?
Absolutely. It was an amazing experience and I got to see/hear/feel the MotoGP atmosphere first hand. There's nothing quite like it.
Would I go back?
Not a chance. It's hot, humid, and riddled with some fairly serious societal issues. (see https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/malaysia#)
On that note, thanks for reading!
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