HRC will be forced to contest IRTA Sepang Test without Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Márquez won’t be 100% fit, as the reigning World Champion is recovering from last December’s shoulder surgery. A similar case is the one of Cal Crutchlow, as the Brit hasn’t fully healed from last year’s ankle injury yet. The only HRC rider facing upcoming Malaysian Test in the best shape is Stefan Bradl.
Due to his test rider role in HRC, the German has no restriction concerning test days, so he’ll fly to Sepang after contesting World Superbike test at Jerez, where the German will hit the track together with many riders he fought with in 2017. Bradl will ride Honda RC213V on the famous Spanish circuit and so he’ll gather valuable information for Honda before reaching Malaysia. The first shakedown will take place from 1st to 3rd February and Bradl will be joined by many other MotoGP test riders: Jonas Folger (Yamaha), Michele Pirro (Ducati), Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki), Bradley Smith (Aprilia) and Mika Kallio (KTM).
Translated by Alessandro Palma