Rain Ends Shakedown as Aleix Espargaro Tops Sepang MotoGP 2026 Test

MotoGP, Sportrik Media - A late rain shower brought the 2026 Sepang MotoGP Shakedown Test to an abrupt end on Saturday, ensuring Aleix Espargaro remained fastest overall for Honda on the final day at the Sepang International Circuit.

The Honda test rider posted a benchmark lap of 1m57.173s aboard the RC213V before rain arrived with just ten minutes remaining. The deteriorating conditions prevented any final time attacks and also forced the cancellation of the end-of-test practice start session.

Second fastest was KTM test rider Pol Espargaro, who continued to underline the RC16’s consistency throughout the three-day Shakedown, finishing just 0.126s behind his older brother. KTM once again placed a bike firmly inside the leading group while focusing on long-term validation work.

Yamaha completed a strong showing on the final day, with Monster Energy riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins finishing third and fourth respectively. Quartararo managed to trim around one tenth from his previous best with Yamaha’s new V4 engine, while Rins broke into the 1m57s during the final hour, marking a clear step forward for the Japanese manufacturer.

KTM Consistency and Rookie Progress

Pramac Yamaha rider Jack Miller, who topped the timesheets on day two, ended the Shakedown in fifth. Although Miller did not improve on his Friday benchmark, his 1m57.908s remained Yamaha’s fastest lap of the entire test and a key reference for the V4 project.

LCR Honda rookie Diogo Moreira continued to impress by finishing sixth, once again outperforming expectations in his adaptation to MotoGP machinery. KTM test rider Dani Pedrosa followed in seventh after making late-session gains, splitting the two most closely matched rookies.

WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu finished eighth on the Pramac Yamaha, just 0.001s behind Pedrosa. Razgatlioglu and Moreira emerged as the standout rookies of the Shakedown, both consistently operating within a competitive margin of the front runners.

Ducati and Aprilia remained focused on data acquisition rather than headline lap times. Ducati test rider Michele Pirro placed ninth on the GP26, while Lorenzo Savadori brought Aprilia’s RS-GP home in tenth.

Technical Picture Ahead of the Official Test

The final day confirmed several key trends ahead of the Official Sepang MotoGP Test. Honda demonstrated consistent pace across all three days, KTM maintained a solid performance baseline, and Yamaha showed tangible progress with its V4 concept, even if further gains are still required to match its best inline-era benchmarks.

For comparison, Quartararo set a best lap of 1m57.794s during last year’s Sepang Shakedown before improving by nearly one second during the subsequent official test. With more stable weather conditions expected, a similar progression remains achievable next week.

The Official Sepang Test will run from February 3–5 and will feature all MotoGP teams and riders, with the exception of Jorge Martin and Fermin Aldeguer, who are both sidelined through injury.

2026 Sepang MotoGP Shakedown Test – Day 3 (FINAL)