BASTIANINI SEEKS SEPANG SHAKEDOWN ACCESS FOR 2027 RIDERS

Enea Bastianini is urging MotoGP to reconsider who can ride at the three-day Sepang shakedown ahead of the 2027 season, arguing that riders who have not yet sampled the new machinery should be allowed to join.

MotoGP faces a major technical reset in 2027, with engine capacity dropping to 850cc and Pirelli replacing Michelin as tyre supplier. Two tests for the new bikes have already taken place this year, but changes to team line-ups mean not every rider has been able to participate. The first official group test is scheduled for Tuesday, December 1, after the Valencia season finale. Bastianini, who will leave Tech3 KTM for Trackhouse Aprilia in 2027, says a single day will not give riders enough time to learn the bike and tyres.

“We have just one day of testing after Valencia on the Tuesday, and it will be so important to understand in which direction you need to work,” he said. “To understand the tyre in just one day is very, very difficult.” He added that adapting to a different bike would also make the session challenging for much of the grid.

The Sepang shakedown is currently reserved for test riders and rookies. With concession rankings resetting for 2027, contracted riders who are not rookies will not be eligible. Bastianini wants MotoGP to consider opening the session to riders who have missed earlier opportunities to test.

“We need to work to understand if, for next year, we can do the first test with the rookies [the shakedown], because, for me, it will be very important to understand the bike,” he said. “In three days, four days, you can understand the bike really well. I think we need more time for that, and we need to adjust the programme with MotoGP.”

Bastianini said he and other riders had discussed raising the issue with Dorna and MotoGP, describing wider access as “a great opportunity for everybody.” He also pointed to riders arriving from Moto2 and Superbike who have already had repeated chances to try the new tyres and machinery.

“Some riders from Moto2 and Superbike [have been] trying the new tyres and new bike a lot of times,” he said. “And we come from MotoGP, but it will not be the MotoGP of next year, and it will not be the same tyres. I cannot overstate why we need a few days for this.”