SEPANG TEST PREVIEW
CRUTCHLOW HERALDS NEW MOTOGP™ ERA IN SEPANG
The new era of the MotoGP™ World Championship officially kicks off tomorrow (Tuesday) with the first test of the 2012 season at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The capacity of the MotoGP machines has been raised from 800 to 1000cc while the introduction of CRT machines to reduce costs has already increased the size of the grid for the 18 round global Championship.
Isle of Man-based Midlander Cal Crutchlow starts his second season in the Championship after winning the Rookie of the Year award last season riding the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha. He returns from winter training in California for just his second ride on the 1000 cc Yamaha after a brief shakedown test at Valencia last November. He will be joined in the Championship by Cumbrian James Ellison who returns to MotoGP riding the Paul Bird CRT Aprilia ART machine. He will have his first ride on the machine at the MotoGP test at the end of February.
All the factory bikes will be in Sepang with enormous focus on the performance of the 2012 Ducati after such a disappointing season last year. Nine times World Champion Valentino Rossi and former MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden managed just two podium finishes last year and Ducati has made some radical changes to the new machine to take on the likes of Honda and Yamaha.
World Champion Casey Stoner, who waits the birth of his first child, enjoyed testing the 1000 cc Repsol Honda last year and together with 125/250 cc World Champion Dani Pedrosa will form a formidable duo. Despite a tremendous fight Jorge Lorenzo lost the Championship to Stoner last year but returns to the fray together with former World Superbike Champion Ben Spies on the 1000cc Yamaha. Also on a Yamaha is Italian Andrea Dovizioso who despite finishing third in the Championship last year was dropped by Repsol Honda. He joins Crutchlow at Tech 3 and hopes to be 100 per cent fit after breaking his collarbone in a motocross training accident – sounds familiar!
Moto2 World Champion German Stefan Bradl makes his official debut on the LCR Honda while the highly rated Alvaro Bautista is joined by Italian Michele Pirro in the San Carlo Gresini team. Karel Abraham and Hector Barbara will ride the 1000 cc satellite Ducatis. Many of the CRT teams will miss the first test but grand prix veteran Colin Edwards will be there on the Forward Racing Suter BMW.
SMITH AND THE BOYS HAVE ONE WEEK TO WAIT
The British youngsters in the highly competitive Moto2™ and new Moto3™ classes will start their official testing next week at Valencia in Spain. Twenty one year old Bradley Smith, who secured three podium finishes in his debut Moto2 season on the Tech 3 machine last year, returned after training with Crutchlow in California to start testing next Wednesday. He is joined by his great rival Scott Redding who rides for the Marc VDS team for the third year in succession. They are joined by Gino Rea who rides for the successful Gresini team after competing in the World Supersport Championship.
These are exciting times for Danny Webb and Danny Kent who compete in the new Moto3 Championship. The two-stroke 125 cc machines will be replaced by four stroke 250s. Webb continues riding for the Indian Mahindra team and 18 year old Kent for the Red Bull KTM AJO team.
The first grand prix of the season will be held under floodlights at the Losail International circuit in Qatar on Sunday April 8.
WINTER TESTS 2012
MotoGP™ WINTER TESTS
SEPANG 31/01-02/02/2012 Set Up: 29-30/01/2012 Time Zone: GMT + 8 hours
Tuesday, 31 January Wednesday, 1 February Thursday, 2 February
10:00-18:00 MotoGP™ 10:00-18:00 MotoGP™ 10:00-18:00 MotoGP™
SEPANG 28/02-01/03/2012 Set Up: 26-27/02/2012 Time Zone: GMT +8 hours
Tuesday, 28 February Wednesday, 29 February Thursday, 1 March
10:00-18:00 MotoGP™ 10:00-18:00 MotoGP™ 10:00-18:00 MotoGP™
JEREZ 23-25/03/2012 Set Up: 22/03/2012 Time Zone: GMT + 1 hour / +2 hours
Friday, 23 March Saturday, 24 March Sunday, 25 March
10:00-18:00 MotoGP™ 10:00-18:00 MotoGP™ 10:00-18:00 MotoGP™
Moto2™/ Moto3™ WINTER TESTS
VALENCIA 08-10/02/2012 Set Up: 07/02/2012 Time Zone: GMT + 1 hour
Wednesday, 8 February Thursday, 9 February Friday, 10 February
10:00-14:50 Moto2™/ Moto3™ 10:00-14:50 Moto2™/ Moto3™ 10:00-14:50 Moto2™/ Moto3™
15:00-15:50 Moto3™ 15:00-15:50 Moto2™ 15:00-15:50 Moto3™
16:00-17:00 Moto2™ 16:00-17:00 Moto3™ 16:00-17:00 Moto2™
JEREZ 16-18/02/2012 Set Up: 15/02/2012 Time Zone: GMT + 1 hour
Thursday, 16 February Friday, 17 February Saturday, 18 February
10:00-15:50 Moto2™/ Moto3™ 10:00-15:50 Moto2™/ Moto3™ 10:00-15:50 Moto2™/ Moto3™
16:00-16:50 Moto3™ 16:00-16:50 Moto2™ 16:00-16:50 Moto3™
17:00-18:00 Moto2™ 17:00-18:00 Moto3™ 17:00-18:00 Moto2™
JEREZ 19-21/03/2012 Set Up: 18/03/2012 Time Zone: GMT + 1 hour
Monday, 19 March Tuesday, 20 March Wednesday, 21 March
10:00-15:50 Moto2™/ Moto3™ 10:00-15:50 Moto2™/ Moto3™ 10:00-13:50 Moto2™/ Moto3™
16:00-16:50 Moto2™ 16:00-16:50 Moto3™ 14:00-15:00 Moto2™
17:00-18:00 Moto3™ 17:00-18:00 Moto2™ 15:10-16:00 Moto3™