Back with a bang: the wait for the #SepangTest is over

Testing, testing: 1, 2, 3 days of action in Malaysia mean one thing and one thing only: MotoGP™ is BACK!

It’s that time of year again: the Sepang test. Now a mainstay of preseason excitement as it heads up the agenda as first track action of the year, the sweltering heat and challenging layout of the Malaysian venue is once again ready to welcome the class of the new MotoGP™ season: 24 riders, 12 teams, and one World Championship title up for grabs. The questions are many, and the answers will be hard fought.

Beginning on the 28th January, there are eight hours of track action per day over three days, and motogp.com will offer extensive coverage. That includes regular updates throughout the three days, as well as interviews, action clips and a special end-of-day wrap-up show. So here we go – #2018 starts now…

Can Marquez maintain his momentum?

The man wearing the crown as the engines prepare to fire up in 2018 is Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), and Sepang will give us the first glimpse as to the six-time World Champion’s form heading into the year. So far, Marquez has only relinquished his hold on the premier class title once – in 2015 – and his name is penciled in as a key favourite. And his teammate, Dani Pedrosa, is always a big threat – and the most recent race winner. Honda were the only manufacturer who brought a 2018 prototype bike to the Valencia test – also ridden by LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow – so Sepang will prove interesting.

Could Lorenzo catch Dovizioso at Ducati?

The man who took Marquez to the wire over the spectacular 2017 season was Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team). His form was stunning, taking Ducati back onto the top step six times throughout the year. His teammate, five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, is the only man other than Marquez to have taken the MotoGP™ crown since the younger rider’s graduation to the premier class – so can a year in red turn the tables and see Lorenzo back on top? Or will years of development and a new mentality keep ‘DesmoDovi’ leading from the front at Borgo Panigale?

Does the ‘Doctor’ have a tenth title up his sleeve?

2017 had some big ups and downs for Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) – including his 300th premier class race start, at Silverstone, and a broken leg not long after. But three weeks later the ‘Doctor’ was back, at MotorLand Aragon, and he put in a stunner to duel his teammate for fourth. Starting the season healthy and showing no signs of slowing down, can Rossi take that elusive tenth? Yamaha will be pushing hard to move forward from 2017, and Sepang could be pivotal for both.

Will 2017 testing top gun Maverick Viñales strike back?

Fastest, fastest, fastest, fastest – that was Maverick Viñales’ CV during preseason last year as he got on the Movistar Yamaha for the first time. And the Spaniard won the first two races, too, before then going on to finish the season in third overall. After a winter of keen development for Yamaha – including a private test at Sepang in November – will Viñales come out the blocks swinging once more? And if he does, what does that tell us about the season as a whole?

Should sophomore Zarco be a favourite for victory?

After a stunning debut season, debut podiums and the coveted Rookie of the Year title, there are a lot of eyes on Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) as he enters his second season. Routinely top Yamaha over the second half of 2017, that named the Frenchman as a real podium contender much of the time – so will 2018 be the season that changes that from podium to victory? With good initial reports on the Yamahas he tested at Valencia at the end of last year, Zarco will be arriving at the Sepang test asking ‘why not?’

He’ll also be gunning for the first ever World Championship for top Independent Team rider. But the competition for that will be tough, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) just four of the names that will be standing in his way.

Who will win the battle of the rookies?

The Rookie of the Year crown is one that you can’t defend. One of Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), his teammate Tom Lüthi, LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami and Reale Avintia Racing’s Xavier Simeon will be the fastest newcomer in 2018 – but which one? Morbidelli is reigning Moto2™ Champion and was dueling Nakagami for fastest rookie when they both first tested the machines – but Simeon was recovering from injury and Lüthi wasn’t even able to take part. Sepang will be the Swiss rider’s first taste of his 2018 bike…and he’ll be pushing hard to play catch up. Will track records remain true to form? Or will one of the newcomers stage a surprise?

Can KTM keep closing in?

2017 was an impressive debut as the Austrian factory went from drawing board to top ten finishes with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith. After development having raced forward at an awesome rate throughout the year, how will KTM blast out the blocks for 2018?

There’s also Team Suzuki Ecstar to contend with, who will want to hit the ground running with Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins. Aiming to get off to a better start than last season, the 2016 race-winning manufacturer have another year of experience with their machine – as do both their riders, having started from zero last year.

Beginning on the 28th January, the track will be open from 10 a.m. (GMT+8) to 6 p.m. on each of the three days as the first answers to these questions begin to appear on the horizon. motogp.com will offer extensive coverage of the #SepangTest, including regular updates throughout the three days as well as interviews, action clips and a special end-of-day wrap-up show. Don’t miss it – MotoGP™ is BACK!

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Repsol Honda Team’s 2018 season starts with first official test at Sepang

The MotoGP winter testing season officially kicks off tomorrow at the Sepang International Circuit, with the first three-day session of the year, 28-30 January.

The Malaysian track is a tradition for MotoGP’s annual opening of business, but this year Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa, and their MotoGP colleagues will also have the chance to ride at a new entry on the 2018 calendar, Buriram Circuit, in Thailand, which will host a 16-18 February test and, in October, round 15 of the Championship.

Following the Thai test, the Repsol Honda Team will move to Indonesia for the team’s official unveiling on 20 February.

The final stint of winter testing will be held at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit on 1-3 March before the season starts at the same track on 18 March.

Marc Marquez 93

“After two months away from the circuits, I’m eager to ride my bike again. I’ve been working hard during the winter period to arrive at the Sepang Test at 100%, and I’ve also been thinking about what we can do to improve our performance from last year. We’re ready to make every effort and to work hard to have the chance to fight for the title again. We have to try to be as quick as last year but to crash less! Every season is a new story, no matter if you’ve won four, two, or zero World Championships—every rider starts on 0 points!”

Dani Pedrosa 26

“We’re looking forward to this new season with high expectations. At the beginning, everything is always a bit hectic, as we’re involved in presentations, photo sessions, and commitments with our sponsors—all while also carrying out intense training on and off the bike to prepare as well as possible, both physically and mentally. Now I’m excited and eager to get on my bike again in Sepang. We know that Honda has worked hard during the winter to improve the machine, and we’ll give our best to take full advantage of the winter testing season in order to be ready for the beginning of the Championship.”

Alberto Puig

Team Manager

“I’m happy to start the season in this new role with Honda, the company that I’ve been working with for the last twenty-five years. At this moment our priority is to check the evolution of our bikes and to get the riders back on the track. We have three very interesting days during which we aim to get clear information from the riders, which will allow us to keep developing the bike until the first GP in Qatar. This is the target for now.” 

More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:

Morbidelli and Lüthi ready to roll in Sepang

The long winter break is finally over and Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Franco Morbidelli and Tom Lüthi head overseas this week, to kick off their 2018 MotoGP campaigns with a three-day test at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.

For reigning Moto2 World Champion Morbidelli the Sepang test will provide an opportunity to continue his adaptation to Honda’s RC213V MotoGP machine, a process he started during four days of testing in Valencia and Jerez at the end of the 2017 season.

While Morbidelli was satisfied with his progress in Spain, the Italian is looking forward to this week’s test at the Sepang International Circuit, a fast and wide track that is very different in character to Valencia and Jerez and one at which he will be able to unleash the full potential of Honda’s RC213V MotoGP machine.

A leg injury sustained in a qualifying crash during the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend saw Tom Lüthi forced to sit out the final two Moto2 races of the season. The injury also meant that the former 125cc World Champion was unable to test alongside his new Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Morbidelli in Valencia and Jerez.

Now recovered from the injury, after completing an intensive rehabilitation program over the winter, Lüthi is looking forward to finally making his MotoGP debut aboard the Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V in Sepang.

The three-day Sepang MotoGP test gets underway on Sunday 28th January.

Franco Morbidelli:

“I’m looking forward to getting back on the MotoGP bike in Sepang, after thoroughly enjoying the tests in Valencia and Jerez. It will be important to start at a good pace once again, so we can continue the work started at the end of 2017. We don’t go to Malaysia with any specific targets in terms of the bike; first I need to see how the feeling is, both with the bike and myself, on a different track like Sepang. From there we can start to work on adjusting our base set up to better suit the track and the conditions, much as we did at the first two tests in Spain.”

Tom Lüthi:

“The main goal over the winter was to get back on my feet as soon as possible, so that I could start training properly again. It was quite a tough time for me, but I made steady progress and right now I feel good. I did some solid training on the MX bike with Julian Simon in Spain and my feeling on the bike was good, so now I’m even more motivating to make my MotoGP debut in Sepang. In Malaysia I think it’s really important to stay calm and focus on learning and understanding the bike. For me it’s a new challenge, but it was good to see Franco and how he worked to adapt to the MotoGP bike in Valencia, because now I have to do exactly the same. I’m really excited to go to Sepang and start the learning process with the Honda RC213V.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“It’s been a busy winter break, with a lot of work needed to put everything in place for the 2018 season, so it will be good to finally get back to the racetrack and focus on performance once again. Franco heads into the Sepang test off the back of two successful tests in Spain and with a clear goal; to continue his familiarisation with the Honda RC213V at a track that is very different in character to Valencia and Jerez. So far his approach and progress have been good and already he’s built up a solid rapport with his new crew, so I’m confident he will continue to improve with more time on the bike in Malaysia. With Tom we got off to a less than ideal start, as the injury sustained in Malaysia meant he was unable to test at the end of 2017. Over the winter Tom has worked hard to regain his fitness and we’ve seen from the training we organised for him in Spain that he’s now ready to make his MotoGP debut. I hope that we can use the tests in Sepang, Buriram and Qatar to catch up the time lost and that Tom will be ready when we return to Qatar for the first race of the new season.”