Sepang MotoGP Testing Wraps Up
T
he more things change, the
more they stay the same. That
much could be said of MotoGP
and its five factories as they
showcased a winter's worth of
work across six sweaty days of
testing—three for the Shakedown,
three for the official—at Sepang.
Each factory could leave Ma
-
laysia feeling optimistic thanks
to an array of ridiculously fast
times. But the manufacturer
hierarchy established last year,
with Ducati clearly leading the
way, remains intact for the time
being at least.
Parts of the track, which had
been resurfaced before last
November's GP, were now fully
bedded in. And three days of
Shakedown testing meant there
was already plenty of grippy Mi
-
chelin rubber laid down when the
test commenced on February 6.
Even still, that didn't fully explain
the barely believable lap times on
show come the final day. Revised
aerodynamics packages were
among the most important items
being tested by Ducati, KTM and
Aprilia. And in keeping with the
past years' events, times just keep
getting faster.
Reigning champion Pecco Ba
-
gnaia (Lenovo Ducati) led a quar-
tet of Ducatis who lapped in the
1 minute, 56 seconds—a first for
the Sepang International Circuit,
while each of the first 10 names
on the timesheets were under
Bagnaia's outright circuit record
of 1 minute, 57.491 seconds, set
last November. On this evidence,
MotoGP promises to be faster
than ever yet again in 2024.
Here's a look at the biggest
stories from Sepang:
DUCATI OMINOUS
General Manager Gigi Dall'Igna
had promised an engine with in-
creased horsepower in January.
But anyone hoping that could
disrupt the equilibrium of the
WIND
IN THE
P28
Defending champ Pecco
Bagnaia was flying on
the new Ducati GP24.
Lap times suggest that
2024 will be the fastest
MotoGP season ever.
PHOTOS: GOLD & GOOSE
