MotoGP: Shakedown Day 1 Results

The first round of a new record-breaking season is in the bag as Day 1 of the Shakedown concludes in Sepang. The Shakedown is for factory test riders and novices – as well as manufacturers who have a free trial at Concession Level D – so not everyone has been or will be on the road. But the funnest sport on Earth marks our return after winter.

The big news can be divided in two ways – one, the debut of two exciting newcomers: Torak Razgatlioglu, who has crossed over from WorldSBK as a three-time champion and is ruling Moto2. Champion Diogo Moreira. Turkish rider Razgatlioglu joins Jack Miller in Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, and Brazilian rider Moreira in Pro Honda LCR, joined by teammate Johan Zarco.

When it came down to lap times for the starters, it was Razgatlioglu who was fastest and finished the 2026 opening day with a best of 1’59.647. This was despite two gremlins in the opening hour. There was also a mechanical issue for Moreira but the Brazilian put that behind him to finish the day in eighth place with a time of 2’00.894. For context, Razgatlioglu’s time would have been good enough for P1 on the same day in 2025 and while Moreira continues to adapt, day two will surely see both take another step.

At the top of the charts, however, was Honda. Aleix Espargaro took the marque’s top spot just six tenths off the qualifying time for the 2025 Malaysian GP. Honda was only at No. 41 on Day 1 in terms of test riders, with Moreira, the rookie representative. The factory has now been promoted to concession level C so their options are not as many as last season.

KTM finished first, second and third by half a second from Pol Espargaro in their team submissions for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3, with MotoGP Hall of Famer Dani Pedrosa another half second behind. Mika Kallio went further down the time sheets and went out to do a few laps.

With Razgatlioglu leading the way for Yamaha, their test riders were behind the sled of the reigning WorldSBK champion. Just 0.111s separated the Turkish star and the test team led by Augusto Fernandes today. A key driver in the development of the Yamaha V4 engine right from the start was Yamaha’s fastest top speed of the day at 327.3 hp. Saves per hour – just over 8kp on day one. Down on the clock, Honda. There were only Yamaha riders, Fabio Quattararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and his team-mate Alex Rins, as well as Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), we have to wait more to see for the first time.

At Ducati, challenger rider Michel Pirro was on track and was the last rider in the 1:59s – but the subject was the new Aero seen in the pitlane. Check it out below! Like the winning championship and often the trend and pace in the pre-season, the new look raises a lot of interest…

At Aprilia, Lorenzo Savadori settled into his long stint at Sepang. The Italian will be at the Shakedown and will stand in for George Martin as he rides alongside Marco Bezecchi at the Sepang test. The Trackhouse MotoGP team was pacing all of the Aprilias, including machinery, and were spinning around the 2 minute mark.

So what’s the big news of the day? The Ducati Aero? Will Moreira bring Brazil back to MotoGP? Razgatlioglu becomes the first Turkish rider in MotoGP? or this Report on Quatararo In the field motorsport.com? Read on… Silly season is already heating up, one day in. See you on Friday for more from Sepang!