Gold & Goose // Red Bull Content Pool

It was an Espargaro one, two today at the official MotoGP test at Mandalika, with Pol and his Honda on top, and Aleix and his Aprilia almost half a second behind. In fact, all six manufacturers in MotoGP were represented in the top six, Honda, Aprilia, KTM, Suzuki, Yamaha and Ducati (in that order). Nice.

Perhaps that means we?ve got a circuit that doesn?t favour one particular brand of MotoGP machine. Or perhaps I?m reading too much into it.

My personal favourite for the ?22 championship, Francesco Bagnaia, only managed 22nd fastest, so I?m hoping, if only for the sake of my integrity, that tomorrow and Sunday will be a different story. There are only two days of testing left before the 2022 season starts, and they?re both this weekend.
Today?s test sessions didn?t really begin in earnest until the afternoon when the rain had abated and the track had been cleared of standing water. I?m sure everyone involved will be hoping for drier weather tomorrow, and a chance to get the hammer down; although the outlook doesn?t look good.

Oh…

I suppose that?s what happens when you build a race circuit on a tropical Indonesian island on the edge of the pacific ocean. World Superbike fans will remember heavy (and I mean HEAVY) rain showers causing long delays, cancelations and general chaos at the final WSBK round of 2021.

So because there?s absolutely no guarantee anyone will get the chance to do any more laps on t...