Sepang MotoGP Test Friday Subscriber Notes: A Lot Of Work Done, A Lot More To Come

By David Emmett | Fri, 10/02/2023 - 16:50

After the first morning of running, and having spent a couple of hours walking up and down pit lane, here are the first things I spotted on the 2023 bikes.

But perhaps I should start with the riders. The testing rule of thumb is that factory riders who stayed with the same factory got to go out on the 2022 bike first, while the new arrivals were handed the new bikes straight off the bat.

Though it seems odd, it makes sense once you see the logic of it: experience riders need to be reminded of how the old bikes felt before starting to test new parts, so they can tell whether something is an improvement or not. The new riders have no frame of reference, and so nothing to compare new parts with. Might as well focus on getting them up to speed straight away.

So it was that Jack Miller and Joan Mir were sent out on black carbon-fiber stealthed prototypes, while Marc Marquez and Brad Binder took their old bikes out for a spin first. Fabio Quartararo followed suit, as did Pecco Bagnaia, Aleix Espargaro, and Maverick Viñales.

Here’s a quick rundown of what everyone has been testing, both from what they told us after the day had finished and from what I saw down in pit lane.

Honda

After the Valencia test, paddock rumor goes, Marc Marquez had sat down with HRC management and made it very clear just how unhappy he was with them. He had put himself through the wringer to get back to something approaching full fitness, while in the same period, Honda had done nothing to fix the bike he was supposed to ride.

At Sepang, Honda were at pains to show just how hard they had been working by bringing three new bikes for him to test. Add in the 2022 bike he started the day on, and Marquez had four bikes in his garage at the start of Friday.

2023
MotoGP
Sepang, Malaysia
Aprilia
Ducati
Honda
KTM
Yamaha
CormacGP

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Comments

Thanks for asking Mr Aldridge about that new Yamaha aero. I was seriously wondering how that was legal. It’s looks nearly identical to the 2016 “sharp” aero winglets. 

Well thats why they're prototypes.

It's performance not about looks

Although i fancy Yamaha fairing that does't seem legal to danny.

It gives the bike an aggressive look. (Although ot looked more aggressive in full carbon than full paint) True that David! The paint makes a difference.

I do think it's kind off neat some aero things do end up on production bikes.

I'm curious how things pan out coming days.

 

The KTM center mini wing is interesting.  Little slots and holes help shape the larger flown pattern.  I’d guess it’s to get more air into the intake or to reduce the pressure on the underside of the nose fairing and hence front lift.  Or both.

Jus look at how bulbuous and ugly these bikes have became, with wings that are useless to anyone outside of a racetrack.

Dorna & MSMA should’ve decided to stop the aero arms race and focus on more relevant technologies like electronic suspension and variable valve timing instead. It’s a shame that money is being spent on tech that has less and less relevance to road riding, instead of focusing on areas with actual practical road applications. 

Thanks Beattie I've had a closer look at the pix.

From the photo of Fabio Quartararo it looks like Yamaha are still using the holey rear hugger, rear guard thingy. Why? Rear wheel huggers are supposed to reduce drag for more top speed. From memory Yamaha added the holes to cool the tire. Is rear tire overheating still a problem for Yamaha? If so why no tire cooling spoons for Yamaha

Some images of the Aprilia have two swingarm scoops, or rear tire cooling spoons. Miguel's Prilla has one. Savadori has one as well. Pol's GASGAS doesn't have any? Fernandez' Gasgas does. Ducati stopped using them last year. Miller's KTM has a spoon, Brad had one, some other KTMs at the shakedown test didn't have a spoon even in the wet.

I'd better go listen to Peter Bom on the podcast and learn some more.

MM test rider idea is novel. AM venture may be a Ducati method for tempting MM across. AM will be getting very well looked after and HRC must, surely, be worried. A bike they cannot resolve and, unless his teammate surprises, they are struggling to produce a ‘rideable’ bike. The rumours of another F1 engine project makes me wonder what their sports strategy really is.

Hi David. I’m a subscriber, and I’m logged in, yet this article doesn’t go past Marc having 4 bikes. The article ends there with the “must be a subscriber to read more…” text. I’ve cleared cache, and used a different browser with the same results.    Help! Thanks.