Valentino Rossi leads the VR46 Academy to a private pre-season test in Indonesia – Nine riders, including several MotoGP stars, are taking part
Valentino Rossi will be conducting a private pre-season test in Indonesia this week together with the riders from his VR46 Rider Academy.
The Italian is leading a nine-member delegation that will be training on production motorcycles at the Mandalika International Street Circuit starting Tuesday. The academy riders will remain in Lombok until January 30 to take part in several media and promotional events in addition to the test rides.
The main partner for the trip is Pertamina, Indonesia’s largest oil company, which is also the title sponsor of the Mandalika circuit. As in the previous year, Pertamina is organizing several days of private test rides for the VR46 Academy and the VR46 MotoGP team and is covering both the track rental and all the riders’ expenses.
These MotoGP riders will be there
The official kick-off will take place on Tuesday with media activities in Lombok, followed by an initial familiarization session on the track in the afternoon. The actual test days are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, January 28 and 29.
In addition to Rossi himself, several established MotoGP riders will take part in the test: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), Luca Marini (Honda), Franco Morbidelli, and Fabio Di Giannantonio from Rossi’s VR46 team.
The field will be complemented by Moto2 rider Celestino Vietti, former Moto2 rider and podcaster Andrea Migno, and the academy’s youngest talent, Matteo Gabarrini.
Which bikes will be tested?
The bikes used will be standard supersport motorcycles. Most of the riders will be riding Ducati Panigale models. Bezzecchi will be riding an Aprilia RSV4 1100, Marini a Honda 1000RR-R. The logistics for Bagnaia, Bezzecchi, and Marini’s bikes will be handled by their respective factory teams.
Valentino Rossi himself will be riding his new R1 for the first time in this test after recently extending his brand ambassador contract with Yamaha.
In recent years, the Indonesia test has become an integral part of the season preparation for the VR46 Academy riders. In addition to training on a World Championship-standard track, Mandalika offers climatic and weather conditions that are very similar to those in Sepang.
This is an advantage that should not be underestimated in view of the upcoming official tests. The VR46 delegation will be traveling on to Malaysia on Saturday. The first official MotoGP preseason test will take place in Sepang from February 3 to 5.
