MotoGP
“Anyway, I don’t like you, you’re doing your job badly”, Zarco very upset at the end of the race
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MotoGP
Cal Crutchlow rings in the MotoGP resumption at Sepang
Long live the MotoGP restart at Sepang! © MotoGP
The Sepang circuit opened its doors on Sunday morning to test drivers from the various manufacturers entered in MotoGP for the Shakedown. This first official test session of the season, open exclusively to development drivers, allows teams to test the latest developments developed during the off-season and refine the prototypes which will be made available to drivers entered in the World Championship. The official website MotoGP gives us the first observations on the machines on the track during these closed-door tests.
At Honda, Stefan Bradl was entrusted with two motorcycles, with two different chassis. The most striking was an RCV with tight aerodynamics incorporating an exhaust placed far behind the saddle backrest. The German was supported by Ramon Aurín, under the watchful eye of Ken Kawauchi, the former technical director of Suzuki.
Honda – Stefan Bradl © MotoGP
In the Aprilia box, during this time, there were no less than six motorcycles, with the appearance of a new, very enveloping aerodynamic package. Air extractors placed on either side of the bubble could suggest that the Italian brand is testing an “S-Duct” type system. Lorenzo Savadori suffered a small technical problem in the last half hour, which forced him to shorten his run.
Aprilia – Lorenzo Savadori © MotoGP
Ducati, for its part, could count on Michele Pirro at Sepang to test two evolutions of the Desmosedici, very close to the presentation bike.
Ducati – Michele Pirro © MotoGP
At KTM, Dani Pedrosa accompanied the returning Jonas Folger on the track, while Augusto Fernández on the handlebars of the cousin GASGAS made his first official laps in the premier category. The only Rookie of the year, the Spaniard was the only starter authorized to ride during these three days.
GASGAS – Augusto Fernandez © MotoGP
Finally, on the Yamaha side, all the efforts rested on Cal Crutchlow, Katsuyuki Nakasuga only having to enter the scene at Sepang from Tuesday. The Briton was therefore juggling between three machines: a 2022 version and two others with 2023 specifications. The opportunity for the tuning fork brand to check if the latest engine developments were in fact compliant with the simulations.
Yamaha – Cal Crutchlow © MotoGP
The rain that occurred at Sepang from 15:00 p.m. limited the running time and the possibility of achieving a reference time on a track that was still very green. Cal Crutchlow just had time to set a first benchmark time of 2'01.146, more than 3 seconds off the best time for 2022. It should be noted that this Monday's test day is currently taking place under a wet track.
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Gautier Calmels
Journalist MotoGP, Nascar, Rallye France, Endurance and Classic... Among others.
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