Italian Michelle Pirro and her Ducati Desmosedici close the three days of MotoGP’s “Shakedown” practice at the Malaysian Sepang circuit, where from February 10 to 12 the first pre-season test of all teams in the category will take place, with the best time, while Dani Pedrosa, KTM tester, continued without the “transponder” mounted on his motorcycle so as not to mark any official time.
Pirro set a best time of 1:59.803 and almost all day with the 2023 “aero package”where its sides stand out in the elements to increase the “ground effect” and is very similar to the one already seen in the “Ricardo Tormo” circuit in Cheste after the Grand Prix of the Valencian Community.
Regarding Repsol Honda, German tester Stefan Bradl tested different aerodynamic packagessome of which have already been seen in previous practice sessions, as well as the rear tail fins seen in some races last season.
The British Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) was in sole charge of filming the first two days dedicated to the test riderswhile on this third day he was with Japanese tester Katsuyuki Nakasuga.
Both the fairing seen in Valencia and an evolution of their latest fender were tested, under the watchful eye of the 2021 MotoGP world champion, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, who was able to verify the improvement at the top speed of the prototypes of Iwata factory ( 335 km/h .), five kilometers per hour faster than the speed achieved by the Frenchman at the previous Grand Prix in Sepang.
In the case of the Austrian KTM, Dani Pedrosa used the new aerodynamics of the RC16 for a long time.with the front part changed compared to last year and without the “shark teeth” it wore last year, while the side ends have grown to increase “ground effect”.
The Spaniard continued without mounting the electronic time control system to “not give hints” to his rivals on the track, in addition to confirming that he will compete in the Spanish Grand Prix held at the “Ángel Nieto” circuit in Jerez de la Frontera at the end of April.
In addition to the teams’ test drivers, “rookie” drivers can also participate in the “shakedown” of MotoGP, so the Spanish Augusto Fernández, Moto2 world champion in 2022, has returned to his GasGas from the French team of Hervé Poncharal.
Fernández completed three very positive days to achieve the fourth fastest time on the third and final day of practice with a 2:00.482.
Italian rider Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia tester, continued with the new aerodynamic package and different versions of the RS-GP, preparing units to be tested by the official pilots, the Spaniard, Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales, over the weekend.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
