In ten years, between 2011 and 2020, the driver who achieved the fastest time in Sepang has only won the MotoGP title twice: Casey Stoner in 2011 and Marc Marquez in 2014. this statistic is complicated by the fact that there were two Sepang Tests between 2011 and 2015-I ran the fastest in both Tests in those years. Casey Stoner was also the fastest in 2012, but lost to Jorge Lorenzo this year after breaking his foot in Indianapolis.
Dani Pedrosa was the fastest in 2013, but was overshadowed by his rookie teammate Marc Marquez, who won the crown on the first try. After his dominant year in 2014, Marc Marquez was the fastest of the two Tests in 2015, but he finished behind the two Yamaha of Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi. Yamaha was the fastest in 2016 and 2017, Jorge Lorenzo and Maverick Viñales won the honor in the Test, but both lost to Marc Marquez. Lorenzo was the fastest again in 2018 and Danilo Petrucci led the Test in 2019, but the two Ducati lost their way during the Season for various reasons, Marc Marquez fought with Andrea Dovizioso.
The Desmosedici was good, but Marquez was better. And in 2020, before the recent times broke out in earnest, Fabio Quartararo was the fastest in Sepang, but he had to wait another year to be crowned Champion. Joan Mir retained Quartararo’s former and current teammate, Franco Morbidelli, for the title. So it’s good to be the fastest in the Sepang test. But that doesn’t necessarily mean as much. Of course, this is good for your pride and to intimidate your rivals. However, it would be unwise to spend your championship bonus as a preventive measure.
Lessons to learn
This is, of course, the reason why everyone is testing. In the end, no prizes will be awarded, but the reward for grinding, in this matter two days in the intense tropical heat, will be the lessons on the strengths and weaknesses of the motorcycle, with which you will start the new Season. Where they will action, how to mitigate this. What are your strengths and how to use them? Prioritize areas where upgrades are urgent and figure out what you can handle until the factory engineers bring you new parts.
It is also, of course, a Chance to be surprised and worried about what their rivals have done. You might be secretly proud that you did something very clever with your bike. But during the Test, you have the opportunity to see what everyone has done and get upset that they have invented something that you didn’t think of. Then, a few weeks before the start of the season, you will have time to take care of it.
This year, the teams only have two days in Sepang instead of the usual three, which is due to the inclusion of Mandalika in the calendar. As the new circuit of the calendar, drivers and teams will be able to test the Indonesian circuit before the first MotoGP visit to adjust the speeds and learn the layout of the circuit, but also to allow Michelin to determine which tires work on the circuit.
Too many variables
These two days in Sepang are all the more important. As a known size, it should provide a better basis for assessing changes. Nevertheless, it has been two years since the MotoGP last visited the Malaysian circuit, and a lot has changed, including the massive introduction of level control devices that radically change the dynamics of the motorcycle. The Shakedown test was used to understand the operation of the recent generation of motorcycles in Sepang and to lighten some of the test load for factory drivers.
Level regulation and aerodynamics will be one of the priorities of all Sepang factories, simply because they have become such an important element of motorcycle performance. The introduction of Spec electronics triggered the search for new ways to control acceleration out of corners, reduce wheelies and find additional acceleration and drive. Once out of the bag, these particular cats led their own lives, the manufacturers acquired data and an understanding of vehicle dynamics and learned to drive faster without electronic tools.
The six manufacturers will work on both areas. Some, like Suzuki and, to a lesser extent, Honda, have a lot to catch up on. Others, such as Ducati and, to a lesser extent, Aprilia, already have sophisticated systems that automatically trigger the level adjustment at the exit of the turn taking into account how the balance of the weight of the bike moves. We think that when entering the turn, the driver decides that he wants to use the device at the exit of the turn and thus presses a lever.
This loads a canister, which is then triggered by a movement of the bike-probably by lifting the forks when the brakes are released or by squatting the rear when setting up after braking – which engages the height release device and lowers the rear of the bike to a precise speed at the exit of the turn. Ducati, as the factory that imposed the altitude release device on all other factories – it is worth two or three tenths per lap, too great an advantage to sniff it – is The factory closest to perfection system.