The first Malaysian Grand Prix was held in
1991 at the
Shah Alam Circuit as the final race of the season. Because of the long trip and high cost, many riders chose to not participate in this event. The 500cc race was won by
John Kocinski. In
1998, the race was moved from Shah Alam to the
Johor Circuit. In
1999 the
Sepang International Circuit, designed by
Hermann Tilke, had finished construction. The circuit was not only more modern and purpose-built compared to Johor, it also lay close to
Kuala Lumpur International Airport. As a result, the race for that season was moved to Sepang along with
Formula One, who held its first race at the country in the same year. Since 1999, the Sepang circuit has hosted the Malaysian GP every year until
2020. In
2010,
Valentino Rossi won his first race in Malaysia since his accident at the
Italian round earlier that year, which saw him break his leg. In
2011,
Marco Simoncelli died on the first lap of the race after a horror accident where two riders hit him in the head and lower body. The race was abandoned shortly after. In 2020, the Malaysian round was scrapped due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. ==Official names and sponsors==