Bagnaia and VR46-linked drivers to race at Mandalika before Sepang

The VR46 Riders Academy riders will take part in several days of testing next week in Indonesia, on the Mandalika circuit. A run which will give them the opportunity to acclimatize to the heat that they will have to face a few days later during the Sepang tests.

These tests are part of the partnership between the Valentino Rossi structure and Pertamina, the Indonesian sponsor of his team. There will be five riders from the MotoGP field taking to the track on Monday, double world champion Pecco Bagnaia being joined by Marco Bezzecchi, Luca Marini, Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio.

In order to respect the regulatory framework, these five riders will not ride a MotoGP but will ride a sports machine from the brand with which they compete in the championship, namely a Ducati for three of them (Bagnaia, Morbidelli and Di Giannantonio), an Aprilia (Bezzecchi) and a Honda (Marini). Some will benefit from the support of their usual engineer.

Although the heat will be there, the risk of rain is also forecast and could disrupt these tests. In recent years, the VR46 Academy has become accustomed to organizing this type of running ahead of the season in order to better prepare its drivers. Last year, it was in Portimão, an option declined this time by the drivers due to the temperatures considered too cool at this time of year.

The Portuguese circuit was also the scene in 2024, on this occasion, of the violent fall of Franco Morbidelli which had considerable repercussions on the Italian's preparation and then on his season with Pramac.

Di Giannantonio “at about 85%” of his means

If he is not directly integrated into the VR46 Academy, Fabio Di Giannantonio is invited to this ride since he is a starter in the team which bears the same name for the second year in a row. On Saturday, VR46 unveiled its Ducati for 2025, and the Italian took the opportunity to give news of his physical condition.

With a shoulder injury, he missed the end of last season to undergo surgery and the upcoming ride will be a great opportunity to measure his personal development more precisely.

“I’m fine, my recovery is going well”he confided. “I am at around 85% of my physical condition and I hope to improve a little further in the coming weeks with the first tests and the first races of the season.”

“It's been a long winter, with really a lot of work in all areas. I can't wait to hit the track; the plan is to ride the Panigale for a few days in Mandalika, before the test, and that's where I will evaluate my physical form before the first test with MotoGP But I'm fine, I'm very motivated.”

“My shoulder mobility is almost complete, I still lack a little strength, but overall I feel very good. It will obviously be very important to see what the sensations are because I haven't gotten on the bike yet, but off the track I feel very good I think we did a very good job.

With Germán Garcia Casanova and Léna Buffa