MotoGP: What we learnt from testing at Indonesia

February 16, 2022 February 16, 2022

Testing for the 2022 MotoGP season is now done and dusted.

After four days of testing, two days in Malaysia and three days in Indonesia, the riders are ready for the season to begin at Qatar, with the first race of the season on the 6th of March around the Losail International Circuit.

Mandalika Test:

Day One:

When MotoGP arrived at the Indonesian circuit there was a thick layer of dirt and stones that covered the track.

However, the top six from the first day of testing featured all the six manufacturers.

Honda sat on top with Pol Espargaro, but close behind was his brother Aleix Espargaro in second on the new Aprilia RS-GP.

Brad Binder was sat in third for KTM and Suzuki found themselves in fourth with Alex Rins.

Yamaha and Ducati were in fifth and sixth, with Fabio Quartararo and Jack Miller.

The top rookie from the first day of testing was Fabio Di Giannantonio from the Gresini Racing Team, as he sat in fourteenth place.

Day Two:

The second day of testing featured a track with a slight racing line, however the track was still layered with dirt.

The second day saw five different manufacturers fill the top five.

First place was Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider, Luca Marini.

The Repsol Honda Team saw Marc Marquez in second place, Maverick Vinales was in third place with Aprilia.

The reigning champion, Quartararo, was in fourth place and the 2020 Champion, Joan Mir, was in fifth with Suzuki.

The top KTM at the end of day two was Brad Binder in eleventh.

The top rookie from the second day of testing at Indonesia was, Di Giannantonio, once again.

Day Three:

The final day of testing and the track was finally good enough for the riders to produce fast lap times.

Repsol Honda topped the first and the last day of testing, once again with Espargaro.

Quartararo finished second for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP.

Espargaro sat in third with Aprilia Racing, is this the year that Aprilia have produced a bike that will fight for wins.

Ducati Lenovo Team had Francesco Bagnaia in fifth place, he has quickly come to grips with the new Desmosedici.

Rins from Team Suzuki Ecstar sat in sixth place, after two years of being beaten by his teammate the Spaniard has something to prove this season.

The top KTM was Binder in ninth, .

The fastest rookie from the final day was Marco Bezzecchi from the Mooney VR46 Racing Team.

Combined Times:

If you combine the times from all three days of testing, these are the fastest riders for each manufacturer.

Espargaro finishes the test on top for Repsol Honda, he is a rider to keep an eye on in Qatar. The new Honda looks like a weapon that all the riders feel comfortable on, could Honda be back in business.

Quartararo finishes the test as the top Yamaha in second place overall. However, Yamaha have openly admitted that they are expecting a tough season for their riders.

The top Ducati is Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider Marini in third place. The Italian manufacturer seem confident heading into round one, with a few minor parts of the bike to tweak.

Espargaro is the top Aprilia rider as he finished in fourth place in the test. The Noale manufacturer know their bike has improved, but their real performance will be clear after the first Grand Prix of the season.

Rins finishes as the top Suzuki in seventh place at the end of the three days. The Suzuki engine has significantly improved from their 2021 machine, so they hope to have closed the gap to match the top speed of their competitors.

The Austrian manufacturers, KTM, have had the worst preseason on paper. KTM look like they may be on for another tough year.