The "checkered flag fell" on Formula 1 in Malaysia on Sunday, with the Southeast Asian nation hosting its final race "before it turns instead to the increasingly popular motorcycle grand prix series that its government perceives as a better value for money," according to Yantoultra Ngui of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Malaysia PM Najib Razak said that "diminishing returns had led Malaysia to call a halt after 19 races." He added, "But that doesn't mean we can't reconsider it at some point of time in the future, provided economic returns are favorable to us." F1 "ushered in a major Asian expansion with the inauguration of the Malaysian race" in '99. But organizers "struggled to bring in the 100,000 spectators needed to break even," with attendance at the annual event peaking at 126,690 in '08 and falling to 83,828 last year. According to the Sepang Int'l Circuit, 110,604 attended the final race. Sepang Int'l Circuit CEO Razlan Razali said, "F1 was a great product before; now, it is not as good. We pay less for MotoGP, and I think the exposure the country gets is more or less the same as F1." The lower costs strike the Malaysians as a "worthy trade off" for the smaller TV audience of MotoGP. The motorcycle series' "lower entry costs attract second-tier cities" that normally could not host a venue for a global sport. Indonesia is building a circuit in Palembang, on Sumatra island, to host MotoGP as early as '19. Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta believes the "popularity of the motorcycle races grows from the prominence of bikes in modern Asian culture." He said, "Life on two wheels is a way of life there" (WSJ, 10/1).
