Espargaro and Crutchlow will compete on the final day of the Sepang MotoGP Shakedown

After making his 2022 debut on the final day of the Shakedown, Aleix Espargaro presently leads the Sepang timesheets.

On Wednesday morning, Aprilia teammate Aleix Espargaro completed his first laps of the year, after Maverick Vinales took to the track (and was fastest) on day two.

Due to Aprilia’s technical concessions, Espargaro and Vinales, the only non-rookie race riders entitled to compete in the Shakedown, were quickly at the top of the timesheets, with Ducati test rider Michele Pirro and rookies Raul Fernandez and Marco Bezzecchi joining them under the two-minute barrier.

Cal Crutchlow, a Yamaha test rider, was also on track today, sharing the M1 test motorcycles with Koha Nozane and Katsuyuki Nakasuga, as previously reported. Crutchlow, who recently signed a new two-year contract to continue as Yamaha’s European test rider, will also participate in the Official test.

Fabio di Giannantonio, who had to miss the second day owing to a stomach illness, is also absent on day three. Gresini has two more days to rest before the Official test on February 5.

The testing will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Below is a collection of photos from Day 3…

Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki)

Darryn Binder

Michele Pirro on the Ducati GP22

The uniforms of MOTOGP racing drivers are currently available at the following websites for a reasonable price: