MotoGP will return with the Shakedown Test at Sepang from February 5-7. The teams demanded a ban on access to the press…
About Luigi Ciamburro de Motoracing
The countdown to the return of the MotoGP class to the track begins. The scenario will be Malaysia and the Sepang circuit which will open its doors from 5 at 7 February for the 'Shakedown' test. The five manufacturers will present the new 2023 products on track for the first time, after the previous test in Valencia on November 8. But all this will happen away from the prying eyes of journalists..
Only the test drivers of each brand and the only rookie, Augusto Fernandez, who will wear the colors of the GASGAS Tech3 team will participate in the 'Shakedown' event of the MotoGP category. During the first three days of testing he will be joined by Dani Pedrosa, Cal Crutchlow, Michele Pirro, Stefan Bradl and Lorenzo Savadori. After this first contact with the 2023 prototypes, Sepang will once again be the scene of a new IRTA test on February 10, 11 and 12. On this occasion, all official MotoGP riders will take action. Finally, there will be another test in Portimao (March 11 and 12), preparatory to the first Portuguese Grand Prix scheduled for March 24 to 26.
The Sepang Shakedown MotoGP will open the 2023 vintage in entrenched camp mode
Until now, the organization of the championship had always allowed the press access to these pre-season events, including the official Sepang Shakedown MotoGP test. A great opportunity to interest fans around the world in the technical innovations of motorcycles, with Ducati in mind which has interested in recent years with the introduction of the rear spoiler and the front lowering device, later prohibited by the regulations. From 2023, the media will only be able to access the paddock for the official test, while from February 5 to 7 they will have to be content with the few images that the teams leak on social networks. The organization announced that the ban was decided at the request of the teams themselves, who don't want to have the press in the stands while they finalize preparations for their prototypes.
Simon Patterson, historic media figure within the MotoGP paddock, announced on his Twitter account that “ journalists will not be admitted to the preliminary Shakedown before the main test at Sepang. Until yesterday we had no information about the change in regulations, well after booking our flights”. Many colleagues had booked tickets and accommodation for months to follow the MotoGP event reserved for testers. Being a test with few riders on the track, it is easier to observe certain details, new features and make comparisons on the evolution that the bikes have undergone over the last two months. But manufacturers preferred to keep the innovations hidden, because they are engineering projects that require investment of money and which could be copied by the competition.
