#2022Loading: ready, set, Sepang!
The #SepangTest is about to begin as MotoGP
warms up for another stunning season in 2022
Friday, 04 February 2022
It’s time to get suited and booted for the first Official Test of 2022! Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia plays host, hot on the heels of the Shakedown Test that saw factory test riders and MotoGP rookies head out for their first few days of action. The official Sepang Test will now unleash the entire premier class grid – plus some test riders – for the first time this season as they take on the 5.5km venue. With its mix of medium and high-speed corners and two long straights, both of which are bookended by slow corners, Sepang is a good place to put a MotoGP machine through its paces.
The test runs from 10:00 local time (GMT+8) until 18:00 on the 5th and 6th of February. Live Timing will be available throughout and can be found at motogp.com and on the official MotoGP app, as well as a range of updates, reports, highlights and more.
MotoGP’s After The Flag programme also returns for the Sepang Test, with a host of interviews, analysis, features and footage of the track action. After The Flag will be hosted by MotoGP’s Matt Birt and Louis Suddaby, with a live link up to Sepang for rider interviews and analysis, including insight from pitlane guru Simon Crafar on the ground in Malaysia. Coverage starts half an hour before the end of the test and continues for an hour after track action concludes. After The Flag is available at motogp.com.
TIMETABLE – LOCAL TIME
Saturday 5th February
Track open: 10:00 – 18:00
After The Flag: 17:30 – 19:00
Sunday 6th February
Track open: 10:00 – 18:00
After The Flag: 17:30 – 19:00
TIP: Head to the Sepang Test page and select “Your Time” to see the details for your timezone!
Are you ready for more MotoGP? Check out the teaser for the Sepang Test and 2022
What can we expect from the test?
A glance through what we’ve seen from the factories so far, and what they’re looking to improve this season
YAMAHA
After a damp squib ending to 2020 for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), the Frenchman shot out the blocks this season to take his first MotoGP World Championship, the first for Yamaha since 2015 and the first premier class crown for France. There were a number of big shuffles around him however, with Franco Morbidelli moving to become his teammate, MotoGP Legend Valentino Rossi retiring, and the return of Andrea Dovizioso to the Iwata marque.
For 2022, Quartararo and Morbidelli remain at Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP and Dovizioso heads up the new WithU Yamaha RNF team alongside rookie Darryn Binder. At Jerez, Quartararo tested the same bike as the Misano Test earlier in 2021, a new swingarm and new anti-wheelie electronics. The Iwata marque also had updated front fairings and a new chassis was on show on Day 1, before a modified version on Day 2. Work also continued on the 2022 engine.
The Shakedown saw Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Kohta Nozane share testing duties before a brief stint for Cal Crutchlow on Day 3 too, with the riders sharing T1- and T2-labelled machines. The Brit was recently announced as Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP test rider for another two years, and is expected to return to the track at the Sepang Test too. What more will we see from Yamaha on Saturday and Sunday? Late last season, Quartararo was clear about his shopping list for 2022: better power, less wheelie and more rear grip.
DUCATI
The momentum only grew for Ducati throughout 2021, despite an entirely fresh factory team line-up. The Bologna factory sealed another constructors’ crown with a supreme run of podiums and wins for their machinery, Francesco Bagnaia put together an incredible campaign to challenge for the riders’ title, and teammate Jack Miller took victories and podiums to ensure Ducati Lenovo Team sealed the teams’ Championship. So far, that momentum has only grown since testing began – and Ducati now have eight Desmosedicis in their premier class arsenal.
The engine was a big priority for the Bologna factory in the Jerez Test, with Bagnaia and Miller getting one each and Pramac Racing’s Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin sharing one. So far we’ve also seen a new, longer exhaust, different aero, a new air intake and plenty more, including an updated holeshot device. The work continued at the Shakedown in the hands of test rider Michele Pirro, with plenty of back to back testing.
What more will we see at the Sepang Test as the recent masters of innovation head out for two more days of testing – and with a whole lot more riders out on track?
SUZUKI
2020 saw Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) take Suzuki’s first riders’ Championship since Kenny Roberts Jr in 2000, and Team Suzuki Ecstar also won the teams’ title – extra cause for celebration as 2020 also marked the 100th anniversary of Suzuki’s founding and 60 years since the Hamamatsu factory debuted in motorcycle racing. But then came a more difficult 2021, with six podiums for Mir and one for teammate Alex Rins – and neither taking a Grand Prix win.
It was a generally tougher season, and Suzuki also introduced a rear ride-height device a little later than most. Can they make that step back to arguably the best-balanced bike on the grid? We’ve already seen some novelties in testing at both the Shakedown and in Jerez, including a carbon-reinforced chassis, a new swingarm, fuel tank cover, side fairings and more. With the 2022 engine also reportedly decided at or even before Jerez, the Sepang Test should be interesting as Suzuki continue the never-ending quest of the inline-four: finding more power without compromising the well-praised handling of the GSX-RR.
HONDA
The return of record-breaking all-timer Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took Honda back to the top step no less than three times in 2021, and in some style. That brought some welcome respite after a difficult 2020 without the number 93, which felt especially barren after the masterclass Marc Marquez and Honda painted together in 2019 – taking the riders’, constructors’ and teams’ titles, aka the coveted triple crown.
However, some struggles for both Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) last season, as well as some first year tribulations for Pol Espargaro as he settled in at Repsol Honda, saw the factory put all hands on deck working towards an improved overall package for 2022.
From what was seen on machinery fielded by HRC at the Shakedown Test and in Jerez, where Honda were the only manufacturer to break cover with a seemingly brand new bike before the winter break, the quest for improvement has resulted in a number of marked differences to the RC213V – from the tail unit and exhaust to the chassis, air intake and more. Tracking the evolution of the radically different bike won’t be the only big story at the Sepang Test for Honda either: it will also see the return of Marc Marquez, who has recovered from the diplopia that side-lined him from the last two Grands Prix of 2021.
KTM
KTM knocked it out the park in 2020. Rookie Brad Binder opened the Austrian factory’s win count as the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider demolished the opposition at Brno, and Miguel Oliveira, then at Tech 3, added his first win – and second – later in the year. KTM ended the year fourth in the constructors’ Championship, only four points off Yamaha in second and two points down on Suzuki in third, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing were third in the fight for the teams’ title.
2021 saw the Mattighofen contingent have a tougher time of it, and with the arrival of such incredible success came the departure of concessions, with a somewhat compounding effect. Both Oliveira and Binder still grabbed a win each and the RC16 took plenty of top six finishes last season, but the Austrian factory are looking for more in 2022.
There were a couple of different aero options on show in the Jerez Test for Binder, Oliveira and test rider Mika Kallio. MotoGP Legend Dani Pedrosa was also out on track at the venue ahead of the rest for a private test. But overall it’s been a coy display so far, including at the Shakedown and including on the timesheets – with a new air intake and the new aero the most visible signs of change so far. We can likely expect to see plenty more on track at the Sepang Test, and we’ll also see a new face in the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing box as Francesco Guidotti arrives to take over as Team Manager. The impetus behind the change is reported as a new focus on the human side of the Austrian factory’s impressive MotoGP endeavours so far.
APRILIA
2021 was a milestone maker for Aprilia. After nearly two decades, the Noale factory took their first ever podium in the MotoGP era as Aleix Espargaro put in a stunner at Silverstone to stand on the rostrum. It wasn’t a one-off ride either, with Espargaro putting in some consistent top sixes and showing the serious progress made by the factory over the last couple of seasons.
Mid-season, Aprilia also welcomed multiple Grand Prix winner Maverick Viñales. After a few races to get up to speed last year, the number 12 began 2022 with the only 1:58 of the Shakedown test – just ahead of his teammate as the two race riders took part thanks to the factory’s concessions. For the same reason, Aprilia also headed out at Sepang on Thursday the 3rd of February for a private test, with test rider Lorenzo Savadori testing back-to-back with the 2021 and 2022 machines, and Viñales working solely with the all-new 2022 bike.
All-new really does mean all-new: engine, chassis, exhaust, aero, fuel tank cover, you name it. At Jerez, Aprilia also said the final package will only be finalised at the Mandalika test. The feedback and laptimes so far make for some good reading as the marque begin a new era as a standalone factory team though, so Sepang will likely see the Noale factory continuing to steal some headlines.
New for 2022: the rookies & the shuffles on the grid this season
New faces, new team names and new challenges define a good portion of the 2022 grid
There is plenty new for 2022, including five – yes, five – premier class rookies, and a few new team names to look out for. So first, what hasn’t changed?
In short, the factory team line-ups: Quartararo and Morbidelli remain at Monster Energy Yamaha, Bagnaia and Miller return in Ducati Lenovo Team colours, Team Suzuki Ecstar field Mir and Rins, the Repsol Honda Team lineup is Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing have Oliveira and Brad Binder, and it’s Viñales and Aleix Espargaro at Aprilia Racing.
Aprilia Racing is in itself a novelty for 2022, however, as the Noale marque begins a new era as a full-factory team and splits from Gresini, with whom they had partnered as an Independent Team.
Amongst the Independent Teams, there’s no change at Pramac Racing as Johann Zarco and Jorge Martin remain, and LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez and LCR Honda Idemitsu teammate Nakagami return to the fold. For the rest, there are a few changes and fresh faces…
GARDNER & FERNANDEZ
At Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing, it’s all-change as 2021 Moto2 Champion Remy Gardner and rookie Moto2 sensation Raul Fernandez join the premier class and remain stablemates in doing so. Both tried the RC16 in a one-off test part way through 2021 as a reward for their incredible performances, and then again in the Jerez Test – although Gardner was suffering through the pain barrier after a late-season crash.
In the Shakedown, Gardner was again on the path to recovery, this time from a crash in training that saw him injure his wrist. But he acquitted himself well. Fernandez, meanwhile, has been stealing the headlines since the first time he got on a MotoGP bike and continued to do so – fastest of the debutants.
BEZZECCHI & MOONEY VR46
The VR46 presence on the grid expands to the two-rider Mooney VR46 Racing Team in 2022, on Ducati machinery.
Luca Marini gets his second bite of the premier class cherry, the Italian joined by rookie compatriot Marco Bezzecchi – and it’s started off well for the number 72 at the Shakedown as he was the fastest rookie on Day 2.
DI GIANNANTONIO & GRESINI
Gresini go from Aprilia to Ducati in 2022 and welcome premier class podium finisher Enea Bastianini to the fold, fresh from the Italian fighting for Rookie of the Year honours last season. He’s joined by rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio, who was sidelined from two days of the Shakedown due to illness and will be especially keen to bounce back and maximise the track time at the Sepang Test.
DARRYN BINDER & WithU RNF YAMAHA
WithU RNF Yamaha have Andrea Dovizioso as he gets back up to speed on Yamaha machinery, and it’s rookie Darryn Binder alongside the veteran Italian. Binder makes the huge leap from Moto3 to MotoGP, but has acquitted himself well so far in testing – well within the ballpark laid down by the rest of the debutants.
More, from a press release issued by WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team:
Official Malaysia test marks new beginning for WithU YAMAHA RNF MotoGP team
The long-awaited return to action of the MotoGP is set to happen this week at the Sepang International Circuit, which simultaneously marks the comeback of the World Championship to Malaysia and the opening of the 2022 season for the newly formed WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP team. Just shortly after presenting their fresh colors, the international crew is eager to try their Yamaha YZR-M1 machines for the first time this year.
Andrea Dovizioso, who already experienced five race weekends and a final test in 2021, aims to become even more acquainted with the 2022 YAMAHA M1. The experienced Italian will enter his 20th full World Championship season and is yearning for valuable track time ahead of the 21 races this year.
On the other side of the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP team garage, Darryn Binder had the chance to use three additional days riding at the Sepang International Circuit just a few days earlier. The premier class rookie took good advantage of the shakedown test and is impatiently waiting now to share the track with the entire MotoGP class field.
The official IRTA test takes place on Saturday, the 5th and Sunday, the 6th February at the demanding 5.543-kilometer circuit that has traditionally been host of the season preparations until 2020. Following this first roll-out of the year, the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP team riders together with the rest of the championship will head over to Indonesia for a three-days test at the new Mandalika Circuit Indonesia, which will be included in the World Championship calendar for the very first time in 2022.
Andrea Dovizioso
“I’m really happy to arrive in Malaysia, which is one of my favorite tracks and one of the best circuits to test. I’m super excited to ride the Yamaha in Sepang and interested to understand how this test is going to be, to check my feeling with the bike. I’m very happy to do Malaysia and then also Indonesia afterwards in order to be as ready as possible for the first round in Qatar.”
Darryn Binder
“These three days of shakedown have been pretty intense already, so it was good to get two days of rest, but we took it step by step and improved each day. Now I’m really looking forward to have someone like Dovi with a load of experience next to me in the garage. I hope that I can work with him and learn a lot from him. The plan is the same every day here, arrive and trying to learn as much as possible, keep moving forward and gaining a little bit, while not doing anything too crazy. I just want to progress each day, to figure things out and further improve gradually.”
Razlan Razali, Founder and Team Principal WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team
“For the upcoming official MotoGP winter test, we have two different objectives and situations for both, Andrea Dovizioso and Darryn Binder. To begin with Darryn; after three days of shakedown with many, many laps, hot and humid conditions, the aim for Darryn is not to focus on lap times, but rather to get more comfortable on his bike, understand the machine, understand different levels of grips, technical details and so on. He is getting ready for the official test now, in which we expect him to further improve his times and be amongst the rookies in the championship. For Andrea, being an experienced rider, I think he has his own set of targets to see how much potential the 2022 YZR-M1 has and compare it to the other Yamaha factory riders. The Sepang test will be a good indication on his current conditions, developments and capacity to fight in the World Championship.”
Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Manager WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team
“After three fruitful days we are quite pleased with Darryn’s results during the shakedown test. Just two days of rest and now, we aim to continue our progress during the official test. We are anticipating that with excitement, of course with all the competitors on track. There’s a lot to follow and a lot to learn again for Darryn. For Andrea’s side, of course, we are looking forward to this first test with him in 2022. We already used a lot of materials during the last test in Jerez in 2021 and at this point, we are ready to start the new season. He has prepared himself and is fit. We can’t wait to see all the 24 boys on track starting their first pre-season winter test this year!”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati:
Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller return to the track at Sepang (Malaysia) for the first pre-season test of 2022
Pirro concludes positive “Shakedown” Test at Sepang International Circuit
Ducati Lenovo Team riders Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller are ready to return to the track after the long winter break, which began last November at the end of the last pre-season test held at Jerez de la Frontera (Spain). Hosting their 2022 track debut will be the Sepang International Circuit.
The Malaysian venue – which couldn’t host MotoGP due to the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic for the past two years – is set to welcome back the Malaysian GP next October and has already been the stage of the “Shakedown” Test from 31st January to 2nd February. During the “Shakedown”, MotoGP rookies and manufacturers’ test riders were able to take advantage of three days of free practices, with Ducati MotoGP Test Team rider Michele Pirro also taking part in it. Pirro continued to test some items introduced in the last test in November and a new aerodynamic package. Despite the scorching temperatures of the past few days, he gathered some positive first impressions on the Desmosedici GP bike, completing over 180 laps over the three days.
Thanks to the first positive feedback obtained by the rider from San Giovanni Rotondo, Bagnaia and Miller will have a solid base to start from and continue fine-tuning their Desmosedici GP22 machines in the next two days of testing scheduled on 5th and 6th February at the same track. On that occasion, the Borgo Panigale team’s official riders will take to the track with the bikes in their 2022 livery, unveiled on 31st January. On 7th February at 4pm Italian time, the official 2022 Ducati Lenovo Team Season Launch will be held online.
Michele Pirro (#51 Ducati MotoGP Test Team)
“The first test after the winter break is always very challenging, but we are satisfied with the work we were able to complete over the three days. Despite the scorching temperatures, we completed over 180 laps and tested some new things on the bike. We haven’t ridden here at Sepang for two years, and I was able to appreciate the improvements that have been made on the Desmosedici GP during this time. The feedback is positive, and we now have a good base of setup from which Pecco and Jack can start during the two days of official testing. I want to thank all the guys in the team who have worked hard during these three days of Shakedown. Now we’ll have two days to rest before returning to work on Saturday and Sunday”.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team)
“I’m very excited to get back on my Desmosedici GP finally. The last test in November at Jerez was very positive, so I hope to find the same sensations on the bike right away, despite the stop of more than two months. It’s going to be a busy couple of days, but a lot of the work has been done by Michele, so we already have a good base to work from, and luckily we have three more days in Indonesia next week to continue our program. I can’t wait to get started so that I can be as ready as possible for the start of this season!”
Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team)
“I’m thrilled to be back with my team here in Sepang finally. We haven’t been in Malaysia for two years now! It’s very hot, and as always, the tropical weather will be unpredictable. Still, I hope we’ll have two days without rain, which will allow us to make the most of the available sessions to find the feeling and work on the Desmosedici GP. Michele has already lapped here earlier this week, so we will have a good starting point. I can’t wait to get back on to work”.
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