The 2022 MotoGP season gets off to a good start next Saturday when the full grid gathers at the Sepang International Circuit for the first of five days of pre-season testing, first for two days at the Malaysian circuit and then across the Java Sea for the first race of the Championship. a visit to the new race track in Mandalika Bay in Indonesia.
But before that happens, there’s something of a teaser in the form of three days of ‘shakedown’ testing action at Sepang, where we’ll see some of the 2022 field line up for the first time alongside some long-time MotoGP veterans hopefully he won’t have to compete for the first round of the championship a month later in Qatar.
Because the shakedown test, which starts on Monday, is open not only to factory test riders but also to MotoGP rookies from 2022, with another chance for the newcomers to find their way around a premier-class machine to be a relatively quiet track.
Most of the attention will likely go to Tech3-KTM duo Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez, who finished straight first and second respectively in the 2021 Moto2 Championship.
KTM stressed its full support for the duo at the team presentation earlier this week, and it’s likely not only a chance for the pair to continue learning their machine, but also for the factory engineers to keep a close eye on their new Chargers.
One rookie likely to be left to his own devices by his builder is RNF Yamaha’s Darryn Binder, as the direct-from-Moto3 graduate continues to delve into not just a bike six times more powerful, but the stopping power of carbon brakes and the incredible Grip of Michelin MotoGP tires.
Joining this trio of riders are Ducati’s duo of first-time Italian riders, while Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi also continue their own learning curve.
They both ride 2021-spec machines, rather than developing 2022 bikes like Gardner and Fernandez. They will join Binder – the only other rider alongside Di Giannantonio’s Gresini Racing teammate Enea Bastianini, who will be competing on year-old machines in 2022 – this week rather than trying something important in terms of new components.
However, there will also be plenty of new bikes at the track, as the six factories are sending their test riders not only to start testing themselves, but also to shake off the machines that their racers will take over a few days later.
The test riders will be running with newly built engines and checking freshly assembled bikes for technical defects, which means that the rest of the grid should theoretically climb onto well-heated bikes.
The busiest of these test riders will be Ducati’s Michele Pirro, who has five factory machines to prepare for Pecco Bagnaia, Jack Miller, Luca Marini, Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco. Additionally, there will be sure to be plenty of new components for him to try as a relaxed Ducati factory puts its engineering brains to the test after a comfortable end to the 2021 season.
Elsewhere, a plethora of past world champions and MotoGP race winners are on the track for other teams as Cal Crutchlow tests for Yamaha, Dani Pedrosa returns to KTM, Sylvain Guintoli takes the lead for Suzuki and Lorenzo Savadori continues with Aprilia.
However, the one with the toughest challenge could be Honda’s Stefan Bradl as the German works to refine a fundamentally different RC213V that will be taken over by Marc Marquez later in the week.
The three-day Sepang track action kicks off January 31 with seven and a half hours of daily action. None of the pre-2022 season tests will be televised live.
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