MotoGP New Season Opens in Sepang with First Pre-Season Tests

The MotoGP 2013 season officially opens this Sunday with the pre-season winter tests kicking off at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) as the competing teams puts their bikes to test in tuning up for the real battle which will commence in Qatar on April 5th.
As the compulsory ban is officially lifted, the teams and riders can now return to their bikes and fire their engines as they start preparations to enhance their four-stroke machines further for competition for the 2013 season.
After two disappointing seasons with Ducati, nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi is returning to Yamaha in search of his 10th world title with the determination and hunger to capture his former glory and re-joins former team mate and defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo, who was closely challenged last season by his Spanish compatriot, Dani Pedrosa.
A former champion for the 125cc and 250cc class, Pedrosa is in search for his first MotoGP world crown and will first need to upstage his new Repsol Honda team mate and 2011 Moto 2 champion Marx Marquez, who takes over from the now-retired two-time MotoGP champion Casey Stoner.      
The teams are Avintia Blusens with riders Hiroshi Aoyama and Hector Barbera; the Came Ioda Racing Project Racing Team with riders Danilo Petrucci and Lukas Pesek; and NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team, which will feature former world superbike champion Colin Edwards and Claudio Corti.
Things will furiously heat up from Tuesday with the rest of the MotoGP premier-class grid joining the action to commence three days of testing from February 5 to 7, which would give the first real indication of form ahead of this season.
The early bird tickets for Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2013 will be sold at SIC Customer Service Centre, SIC Ticket Booth at KL Sentral and also via online at www.sepangcircuit.com.
The MotoGP teams and riders would have three sessions for the official pre-season test with the second session to be held again in Sepang from February 26 to 28. The third session would be held in Jerez from March 23 to 25.
Moto 2 and Moto3 riders, which would feature Malaysia’s Muhammad Zulfahmi Khairuddin in the World Champion Red Bull KTM Ajo Racing, would have having separate test session in Spain with the first session scheduled in Valencia from February 12 to 14.  Two other sessions would be held in Jerez from February 19 to 21; with the final session from March 18 to 21.
The opening round of the new FIM MotoGP world championship would open with Qatar Grand Prix from April 5 to 7. Malaysia would host Round 15 from October 11 to 13.
MotoGP Entry List 2013
Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Yamaha Factory Racing (Yamaha)
Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha Factory Racing (Yamaha) Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team (Honda) Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team (Honda) Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team (Ducati) Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Team (Ducati) Cal Crutchlow (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (Yamaha) Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (Yamaha) Ben Spies (USA) Pramac Racing Team (Ducati) Andrea Iannone (ITA) Pramac Racing Team (Ducati) Stefan Bradl (GER) LCR Honda MotoGP (Honda) Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Avintia Blusens (FTR*) Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Blusens (FTR*) Colin Edwards (USA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing (FTR Kawasaki*) Claudio Corti (ITA) NGM Mobile Forward Racing (FTR Kawasaki*) Randy de Puniet (FRA) Power Electronics Aspar (ART*) Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Power Electronics Aspar (ART*) Karel Abraham (CZE)Cardion AB Motoracing (ART*) Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Go & Fun Honda Gresini (Honda)
Bryan Staring (AUS) Go & Fun Honda Gresini (FTR Honda*) Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Came Iodaracing Project (Ioda-Suter*) Lukas Pesek (CZE) Came Iodaracing Project (Ioda-Suter*)
Michael Laverty (GBR) Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM*) Yonny Hernandez (COL) Paul Bird Motorsport (ART*) (*denotes CRT Teams)