SEPANG – The 2022 MotoGP Sepang Test kicks off today with two days of official testing from the teams and its 24 riders.
The action kicked off at 10am here at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) with riders eager to hit the asphalt the second the pit lane lights turned green.
The 2022 MotoGP riders take charge of their team’s testing after three days of Shakedown testing that took place here at SIC on January 31, February 1 and 2.
The Shakedown test gave way for this year’s rookies and test riders, as well as Aprilia Racing, which saw Maverick Vinales leading the timesheet with the first 1m 58s of the season on this track, slightly ahead of teammate Aleix Espargaro, who had skipped the opening two days of testing.
All eyes are fixed on 2021 MotoGP World Champion Fabio Quartararo, as he takes the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP bike out for the next two days.
The Frenchman will see some changes in the team roster this year as he is joined by Franco Morbidelli, after the retirement of MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi last year.
The Iwata marque will also see Andrea Dovizioso leading the new WithU Yamaha RNF team, joined alongside rookie Darryn Binder.
Also stealing some of the spotlight will be record-breaker Marc Marquez. After a difficult 2020 season without Marc, the Repsol Honda Team managed to return to the top step multiple times for the 2021 season.
The blow to the 2020 season felt especially hurtful after a glorious 2019 season which saw the rider and his team dominate the riders’, constructors’, and teams’ titles – the triple crown.
After Sepang, the teams will head to the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit in Indonesia for the first time to conduct further testing, followed by Moto2 and Moto3 testing at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve Circuit in Portimao, Portugal.
The next two days of testing here will showcase teams’ improvements that have been made during the off-season and give the riders a chance to get accustomed to their bikes for the upcoming season that kicks off at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on March 6. – The Vibes, February 5, 2022.
