Pedrosa dominates the first day of 'Shakedown' in Sepang

MADRID, 1 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Spanish rider Dani Pedrosa, a KTM tester, set the best time this Thursday during the first day of the 'Shakedown' that the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia is hosting until Saturday, and which opens the preseason of the 2024 Motorcycle World Championship.

While waiting for the first official pre-season test on the MotoGP grid to be held next week, starting on February 6, a total of seven riders, most of them testers, worked to tune the mounts for the race. new campaign.

According to the championship website, it was Pedrosa, a KTM tester, who was the fastest on this first day with a best lap around the Malaysian track of 1:59.233, although closely followed by his young compatriot Pedro Acosta, 'rookie' this year. from the Austrian factory in the GasGas Tech3.

The Murcian, current Moto2 world champion and the only rider who was in Sepang who was not testing, demonstrated his abilities and was only 152 thousandths behind the Catalan and ahead of the other tester of the Austrian brand, Pol Espargaró, whom exceeded by just 30 thousandths.

The one from Mazarrón, on his second day on a MotoGP after his debut in Cheste (Valencia) in the postseason test, was testing new parts for his team such as an innovative front fender and also a steel and a carbon chassis.

For this Friday and Saturday, the presence of more official Yamaha and Honda riders is expected thanks to the New Concession System, so the Asian track will be the Spanish Joan Mir and his new teammate at Repsol Honda, the Italian Luca Marini, the Yamaha pair formed by the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo and the Spanish Alex Rins, and the Frenchman Johann Zarco and the Japanese Takaaki Nakagami, the LCR Honda duo.