Yamaha confirms in the rain at Sepang

This Monday, rain came to the Sepang track, soaking the Malaysian asphalt and disrupting the teams' test plans. The track dried out at the end of the day, but the drivers were able to pass a slick train during the last hour.

As a reminder, only test pilots from the different manufacturers engaged in MotoGP this season can participate in this Shakedown, allowing teams to test the latest developments developed during the off-season and refine the prototypes which will be made available to drivers competing in the World Championship. Only Augusto Fernández, the only Rookie of the year riding the GASGAS, was authorized to join the test riders during these three days. The official website MotoGP gives us the first observations on the machines on the track during these closed-door tests.

Yamaha – Cal Crutchlow © MotoGP

Lorenzo Savadori was the first to set off in the early morning for a few scouting laps. The Italian continues to juggle between the six motorcycles brought by Aprilia, each presenting different engine and aero configurations. The most striking is certainly a particularly wide and enveloping fairing. Imposing air extraction vents in front of the pilot's legs suggest that significant work has been carried out on the internal air flow. Paolo Bonora, manager of the Italian brand, confirmed that his teams had worked extensively in the wind tunnel this winter.

Aprilia – Lorenzo Savadori © MotoGP

At Ducati, Michele Pirro had two machines at his disposal, but neither presented the new aerodynamics seen the day before. The Italian simply tested several exhaust configurations and set the second best time of the day.

Ducati – Michele Pirro © MotoGP

Dani Pedrosa continues his tireless development work and has done a series of laps at Sepang in order to collect as much data as possible for the KTM engineers. Among the Hispanic cousins ​​of GASGAS, the third time of Augusto Fernández seems to confirm that the beginner has found the keys to the operation of his mount

KTM – Dani Pedrosa © MotoGP

Finally, Cal Crutchlow undertook important analysis work on the 2023 engine. The best times recorded during the first two days of this Sepang shakedown will certainly bring some comfort to fabio quartararo after his disillusionment with the end-of-year tests in Jerez. The French champion was present on the circuit to feel the atmosphere and his newfound smile was a pleasure to see.

Fabio Quartararo is already present at Sepang © MotoGP

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