MotoGP Sepang Shakedown
MotoGP riders hit Sepang on THursday for the opening day of the Sepang Shakedown, an event where test riders and rookies can ride, ahead of the entire field converging on Sepang next Tuesday for the Official Test.
Under the new concessions system that came into force at the conclusion of 2023, Yamaha and Honda were also permitted to take part in the Shakedown, however, we didn’t yet see any of the “race” riders who are able to take part thanks to the concessions. So there was no 2021 Champion Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) nor new team-mate Alex Rins, and no Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team), his new team-mate Luca Marini, nor fellow Honda riders Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) and Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu LCR). Yet.
That meant a total of seven riders in action on Thursday, although those who can take part are expected on track at some point before action concludes.
Dani Pedrosa and rookie Pedro Acosta were joined by fellow RC16 rider Pol Espargaro, who begins his new role as a Test Rider for KTM, and Michele Pirro (Ducati Lenovo Team), Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha Factory Racing), and Stefan Bradl (HRC Test Team) were all on track for their respective factories.
Day One concluded with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing test rider Dani Pedrosa on top, with the three-time World Champion putting in a best lap of 1:59.233. Right on his tail comes Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), the only rookie in 2024, just 0.152s behind as his impressive performances only continue to fuel the hype around his arrival into MotoGP.
In terms of innovations spotted so far, Aprilia, Ducati, KTM and Honda all had new aero to test, with the rear tail unit aero a particular talking point with all the aforementioned manufacturers.
Pol Espargaro and Pedrosa were testing KTM’s newest aero package, with Bradl and Pirro doing the work for Honda and Ducati, respectively.
Acosta, despite it being only his second day on a MotoGP machine, was testing a couple of things on his RC16 as the reigning Moto2 World Champion did some work with an innovative front mudguard, as well as testing out both the steel and carbon chassis.
Plenty more is to come over the next two days of Shakedown action before the Official Test kicks off on Tuesday the 6th of February, so stay tuned for more!
MotoGP Sepang Shakedown (Seven Riders)
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Dani Pedrosa | KTM | 1m59.233 |
| 2 | Pedro Acosta | GASGAS | +0.152 |
| 3 | Pol Espargaro | KTM | +0.182 |
| 4 | Stefan Bradl | Honda | +0.627 |
| 5 | Michele Pirro | Ducati | +1.633 |
| 6 | Cal Crutchlow | Yamaha | +1.780 |
| 7 | Lorenzo Savadori | Aprilia | +2.576 |
Provisional 2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar (Updated)
| Rnd | Date | Location |
| 1 | 10 March | Qatar Lusail International Circuit |
| 2 | 24 March | Portugal Autódromo Internacional do Algarve |
| 4 | 14 April | Americas Circuit of The Americas |
| 5 | 28 April | Spain Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto |
| 6 | 12 May | France Le Mans |
| 7 | 26 May | Catalunya Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya |
| 8 | 02 June | Italy Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello |
| 9 | 16 June | Kazakhstan Sokol International Racetrack |
| 10 | 30 June | Netherlands TT Circuit Assen |
| 11 | 07 July | Germany Sachsenring |
| 12 | 04 August | Great Britain Silverstone Circuit |
| 13 | 18 August | Austria Red Bull Ring-Spielberg |
| 14 | 01 September | Aragon MotorLand Aragón |
| 15 | 08 September | San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini Misano |
| 16 | 22 September | India Buddh International Circuit |
| 17 | 29 September | Indonesia Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit |
| 18 | 06 October | Japan Mobility Resort Motegi |
| 19 | 20 October | Australia Phillip Island |
| 20 | 27 October | Thailand Chang International Circuit |
| 21 | 03 November | Malaysia Sepang International Circuit |
| 22 | 17 November | Comunitat Valenciana Circuit Ricardo Tormo |
Reserve Event: Hungary – Balaton Park Circuit.
Portugal & India remain subject to contract.
Kazakhstan is subject to contract and homologation.
