Having seen a new World Champion crowned at the Valencia GP, teams and riders don’t have much time to draw breath as on Tuesday, November 8th, preparations for 2023 begin with the Official Valencia Test.
The one-day Test is sure to draw interest with plenty of novelties set to be on show and numerous personnel changes within teams. What’s more is that fans can enjoy track action LIVE on motogp.com, as well as an exclusive range of extra and behind-the-scenes content from the team at the circuit. As per usual, teams will bring out a variety of upgrades for their 2023 machines as they aim to get a headstart on next year’s campaign, so expect to see lots of innovation across the day.
Here's the live schedule for Tuesday's Test in local time (GMT+1):
- Morning coverage (live on motogp.com): 09:30-13:30
- Midday recap (live on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Twitch): 14:00
- Afternoon coverage (live on motogp.com): 14:30-17:30
Apart from the tech side of things, we’ll see a number of riders don the leathers of their new teams for the first time. Jack Miller is one of the biggest names in the series to move manufacturers as he swaps a factory Ducati for a factory KTM. He’s not the only incoming rider at the Austrian manufacturer either. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) will debut on MotoGP™ machinery with GASGAS Factory Racing Team, while Pol Espargaro will ride the RC16 once again as he moves back to the orange marque from Repsol Honda.
Honda themselves will welcome current Suzuki duo Joan Mir and Alex Rins into the fold, with both riders getting a first taste of the RC213V alongside Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu). It will be another pivotal test for the Japanese manufacturer as they continue to revamp their bike in an effort to provide a more competitive package in 2023.
Exciting times lie ahead for Aprilia too. Despite their Championship bid falling just short, they have taken huge strides forward this season and will once again be a contender next year. They also welcome their first-ever MotoGP™ satellite team into the class, with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Raul Fernandez (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) switching RC16s for RS-GPs at the newly formed RNF outfit. Having impressed hugely in recent Tests, it will be fascinating to see how they approach things in Cheste.
Keep an eye on Ducati too, as a shakeup in their rider lineups begs plenty of questions. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) replaces Enea Bastianini at Gresini Racing in a move that he has described as make or break for his premier class career. ‘The Beast’ moves up to the factory side to partner Pecco Bagnaia, and it will be fascinating to see how they gel after some gripping on track battles in recent weeks.
There’s certainly a whole lot to look forward to in Valencia, but before teams and riders set their attention to 2023, there’s the small matter of a Valencia GP title decider to take care of first!