We are officially underway in 2023. After three days of Shakedown testing, the Official MotoGP™ Sepang Test has burst into life as the premier class stars get back into the groove of piloting their respective thoroughbreds. Leading the way at midday (14:00 local time, GMT+8) is Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) with a 1:58.737, with the Spaniard closely followed by World Champion Francesco Bagnaia and his Ducati Lenovo Team teammate Enea Bastianini.
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The first rider out on track was new Red Bull KTM Factory Racing recruit Jack Miller, with every full-time rider completing well over 20 laps on the opening morning. Some of the big talking points include Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) having four RC213Vs at his disposal, one of them being a bike that has a lot of new, unseen parts on them. Keep an eye out for that.
The same can be said for Aprilia Racing duo Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales. Both of the Spaniards have been out on Aprilia’s new 2023-spec machine that we saw Lorenzo Savadori running at the Shakedown Test. And on the topic of Aprilia, Miguel Oliveira (RNF MotoGP™ Team) was an earlier crasher in the final sector – the Portuguese rider was unhurt.
The same can be said for Aprilia Racing duo Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales. Both of the Spaniards have been out on Aprilia’s new 2023-spec machine that we saw Lorenzo Savadori running at the Shakedown Test. And on the topic of Aprilia, Miguel Oliveira (RNF MotoGP™ Team) was an earlier crasher in the final sector – the Portuguese rider was unhurt.
Expect to see plenty more parts rolled out throughout the afternoon as the riders dust off the winter cobwebs. You can keep up with the action via Live Timing until the chequered flag across all three days, and make sure you tune into After The Flag live at 17:30 local time (GMT+8). MotoGP.com will also have interviews, highlights and an in-depth report for you to get your teeth stuck into.
Top 10 (times as of 14:00 local time):
1. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) – 1:58.737
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.120
3. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.249
4. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) + 0.568
5. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 0.587
6. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 0.687
7. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 0.732
8. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 0.832
9. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 1.276
10. Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) + 1.290