Pedro Acosta tops the final day of MotoGP shakedown at Sepang

Pedro Acosta topped the timesheets in the final day of MotoGP shakedown at Sepang circuit ahead of the official pre-season test.

Rookie Pedro Acosta resumed his swift transition into the MotoGP world by dominating the Sepang shakedown test on day three with the fastest time, placing him just ahead of KTM’s Pol Espargaro.

Typically, only test and rookie riders are permitted to participate in MotoGP’s shakedown. However, due to this year’s concession rules, Honda and Yamaha were permitted to use their race riders, so Zarco was accompanied on the track by other riders including Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), Joan Mir (Honda), Alex Rins (Yamaha), Luca Marini (Honda) and Takaaki Nakagami (Honda).

Pedro Acosta performed exceptionally over the three-day MotoGP test that marked the first shakedown in 2024. He finished every day among the top three as he mounted laps and grew more confident on his KTM RC16.

Acosta made remarkable progress during the test, as KTM also sampled some upgrades along with their new carbon chassis. The most common feature was a radical front fender wing that looked like a little replica of the component that is typically attached to the back of the bike. It also featured wings that had been somewhat altered around the body.

Having finished second to KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa in 1:59.385 on the first day, he finished the second day behind Espargaro and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo thanks to a much-improved 1:58.531 timing.

Acosta didn’t stop as he continued to improve further on the final stretch of the shakedown, finishing the day with a fantastic finish of 1:58:189s. However, he experienced a few minor mishaps en route to the fastest time, which was seven tenths slower than the world champion Francesco Bagnaia’s time from the previous year’s pole position.

KTM was the most dominant brand in the shakedown, while other brands also made huge progress in preparation for 2024 MotoGP. With the RS-GP, Aprilia added several novel aerodynamic concepts, such as a unique rear wing in the “batmobile” design. This had two little wings hanging down the back of the bike, slightly above the exhausts.

In the meantime, Ducati kept pushing the limits of aerodynamics with its Desmosedici as the Italian manufacturer added a dramatic new ground effect panel to the machine’s side fairing.

Honda also deployed several new aggressive aero elements in an effort to get back to the frontline of MotoGP performance. Honda, like its rival Yamaha was able to make use of its championship riders during the shakedown’s second and third days as they were also granted concessions for 2024 MotoGP.

Quartararo finished both days in the top four while Alex Rins ran strongly on his M1 to finish both days within about a tenth of his team-mate. On the final day, Honda’s best finish came in third with LCR’s Johann Zarco while Joan Mir finished sixth on both days.

Running was quite light on the last day owing to severe weather that plagued the Sepang International Circuit. Before the last day, an overnight downpour soaked the circuit, resulting in several riders delaying to take to the track until it dries out.

The teams and riders called it a day at 16:30 local time, an hour and a half ahead of schedule, due to heavy thunderstorms that disrupted the action on day three.

2024 MotoGP Pre-Season Shakedown Testing Results Day 3 of 3