SPEED + BEYOND

MOTOGP CATCHUP: NOTABLE RACING MOTORBIKE BRANDS STRUTTING ON MANDALIKA CIRCUIT

Miguel Oliveira rides the KTM motorbike brand into victory. However, having the greatest machine in the race might impact the racers even just a bit. Get to know the brands used at MotoGP.

24.03.2022
BY MAXWELL SOETOMO
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On 11 to 13 February, The MotoGP riders tested for 2022 pre-season testing, a two-day Sepang Test from each factory of motorbikes. Several brands got tested. Though Miguel Oliveira won the race because of his skills, there are several things that we can learn from the motorbike brands. 

Aside from KTM which was used by the winning MotoGP, there are several other notable motorbike brands that were used during the race. Check them out and what we know about them after the Sepang test. 

Ducati
Ducati left the Sepang test on the front foot of the timesheet thanks to Enea Bastianini who puts on his fastest lap of Sepang on his GP21. The GP22 also acquitted itself very well. Its engines were showing gains in top speed and the new aero, as well as updated air intake, remains a fixture. 

Feedback from riders at Sepang accumulated that there remains a margin for improvement and the Borgo Panigale factory will be keen to iron everything out. Ducati's updated ride height, the front, and the rear machine are now lower. 

Aprilia
Aprilia which came from the Noale Factory was founded in 1945. Starting from a small bicycle shop, it is today one of the top names in the two-wheeled industry. After securing a 1-2 on the first official day of testing, Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales ended the test second and fifth respectively. 

Aprilia Racing Technical Director, Romano Albesiano, explained that the 2022 RS-GP was like “moving a building two meters away, it’s not a big change, but you have to move everything.” In other words, the bike was completely a new machine. Espargaro hailed improvements in turning and corner speed and Viñales enjoying the new RS-GP saying that the handle was narrower than last year’s.

Suzuki
Suzuki is a Hamamatsu factory-made bike. Ahead of the MotoGP, the company confirmed that they have improved their engine for more speed without compromising the established assets of the GSX-RR. There were reportedly more comments from the riders regarding the aero and chassis updates. However, during the race, Suzuki managed to fare with the 17 apexes. 

Yamaha
Developed by Yamaha Motor Company, Yamaha YZR-M1 was used in MotoGP 2022. The bike is an inline-four motorcycle.  Monster Energy Yamaha Team Manager Maio Meregalli admitted they expected a bigger improvement despite the work that has been focused on finding more gains via the "Aerodynamic bike". Meregalli also said that the “real test” was in Mandalika where they maximized the functions and engines of the bike. 

#THE S MEDIA #Media Milenial #motogp #motogp2022 #ktm #aprilia #ducati #suzuki #yamaha

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