Marco Bezzecchi “curious” for Sepang after “outstanding” Australian MotoGP

Aprilia returns to Sepang in Malaysia this weekend, the scene of a disastrous start to pre-season testing for Jorge Martin, with the reigning MotoGP champion still absent due to injury.

But Marco Bezzecchi’s side of the garage is riding a crest of a wave, fighting for victories at three of the last four rounds, including last weekend at Phillip Island.

The Sprint winner had the pace to win Sunday's Grand Prix, but couldn't overcome a double long lap penalty from Indonesia.

Nonetheless, third in the race also put Bezzecchi above Francesco Bagnaia for third in the world championship. If he can hold onto it, it’ll be a feat never previously achieved by an RS-GP rider.

Bezzecchi was ninth fastest at the start-of-year Sepang test, where Martin was injured early on day one, and is curious to see how much he and the RS-GP have improved since.

“I’m extremely happy to be returning to Sepang,” Bezzecchi said.

“It is a track where I’ve already ridden with my bike during the pre-season tests, so we have some references and I’m curious to see how it will go after all the work we’ve done this year.

“We did an outstanding job on Phillip Island, and the goal is to continue along the same lines in Malaysia. I can’t wait to get out on the track.”

Test rider Lorenzo Savadori is again replacing Martin, who suffered a broken collarbone when he lost control and hit Bezzecchi at the start of the Motegi Sprint.

“Malaysia is rather a different track from Phillip Island, with conditions that are undoubtedly hotter and more demanding,” Savadori said.

“We’ll continue working on developing the RS-GP25, following up with the experiments we began in Australia with the goal of improving the bike even more.

“I can’t wait to get this weekend started and, as always, I’ll be giving it my all.”

Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez took victory last Sunday, meaning Aprilia will be chasing a first MotoGP three-in-a-row in Saturday’s Sprint.