Yamaha dominated the first day of the MotoGP Shakedown in Sepang

The 2023 MotoGP season kicked off this Sunday in Sepang with the first day of the Shakedown test where the test pilots and Augusto Fernández, rookie in the premier class participated in the controls of his new GasGas.

Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) topped the time sheet with a time of 2:01.146. Due to the high temperatures in Malaysia, along with dirt on the track from winter and the onset of rain towards the end of the day, the times were around three seconds slower than what we saw at the Malaysian GP. 2022. Times are expected to decrease as practice progresses.

YAMAHA

Crutchlow, a three-time Grand Prix winner, has three YZR-M1s at his disposal: two with 2023 spec and one with 2022 spec. The focus is on Yamaha’s new, more aggressive engine, which has been a hot topic of conversation in Valencia.

Looking at the timetable, it appears that the issue that arose late last year, which caused some confused looks after the clear improvements shown in previous tests, has been analysed.

Crutchlow set a top speed of 330 km/h according to live circuit timing, just a few kilometers behind the fastest. Also, looking back at the 2022 Sepang test, Yamaha’s fastest top speed was 327km/h, indicating progress. That will be music to the ears of Fabio Quartararo and his teammate Franco Morbidelli ahead of the Official Sepang Test.

KTM

Jonas Folger, new KTM test rider, joins Dani Pedrosa at the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing track, where the German tackled the RC16 for the first time. Pedrosa, for his part, was working with Jack Miller’s team on day one.

SCRATCH

The current Moto2 World Champion, Augusto Fernández, is back riding the GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3. With no plans for the Valencia Test, apart from testing a MotoGP™ for the first time, these three days will be important for the Spaniard to start building the bike on him. The number 37 finished second on the time sheet with a time of 2:01.331, just 0.185s off Crutchlow’s fastest time.

SLING

Stefan Bradl laps for HRC and the German has two RC213Vs in the box. Bradl rode a facelifted Honda with redesigned aerodynamics, a new exhaust and the 2023 engine.. Bradl’s best time was 2:01.605, which put him fourth on the time table.

APRILIA

Lorenzo Savadori will be present at the Aprilia RS-GP 2023 shakedown and it was a busy day for the Italian, who had six bikes to ride. Aprilia debuted new aerodynamics, something we’ll see a lot of in the factories during the pre-season, and Savadori also suffered a technical problem at the end of the day.

DUCATI

Michele Pirro, Ducati’s trusted man, put the current World Champions back on trackwho will face the season with the goal of defending not one, not two, but three Championships.

The Borgo Panigale factory debuted its 2023 account with a new fairing to show off, and Pirro worked with two GP23s. The Italian set a best time of 2:02.115.