From team presentations to pre-season testing, new regulations and sustainable fuel, get ready for 2024
The countdown to the season opener in Qatar is on, but between now and our return to Lusail International Circuit from the 8th to the 10th of March, there’s plenty of MotoGP™ to look forward to. The first headline event of the season goes to Gresini Racing MotoGP™ as the Independent squad are the first to roll out their 2024 colours, in their case those ready to be raced by their blockbuster Marc Marquez-Alex Marquez line-up. That’s on Saturday the 20th of January.
With a host of moves for 2024 – and a superstar fresh face joining the grid as Pedro Acosta lands at GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 – the team presentations will be our first glimpse of all the new line-ups and colours. We’ll also get to see the race livery of the new Trackhouse Racing MotoGP™ team as they prepare to take on the world’s most exciting sport. The full calendar of presentations was revealed recently, so take a look through, with Gresini first up and Prima Pramac bringing the curtain down.
Track action and pre-season testing gets underway with the Sepang Shakedown from the 1st to the 3rd of February. This season it’s a blockbuster too, with Honda and Yamaha able to field their race riders to test alongside the rookie and factory test riders. In the case of Honda, that includes the Independent LCR Team: new arrival Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) and long-time competitor Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR). How? The new concession system has already come into effect. Below is where each factory stands and what they get, or don’t get, as we begin 2024. It gets re-assessed for the first time in summer!
That’s not the only key change in regulations. A more sustainable era also starts now: from 2024, fuel for all Grand Prix classes must be of minimum 40% non-fossil origin. This was first announced in 2021, and 2024 is only the first step. By 2027, all fuels in all Grand Prix classes must be 100% non-fossil origin.
Every premier class manufacturer has worked with their supplier to develop their own, and Moto2™ and Moto3™ are supplied by official fuel supplier PETRONAS. As the pinnacle of two wheels, MotoGP™ is a perfect platform to develop these more sustainable, drop-in fuels, and with no single proprietor, the initiative can create truly global impact.
After the Shakedown gives us a first glimpse this year of these fuels in action, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ reveal their 2024 livery as Alex Rins suits up alongside 2021 Champion Fabio Quartararo. The Sepang Test will then welcome the whole grid to the track for the first time this season, with three full days of testing action to take place from the 6th to the 8th of February. Then it’s reveal time for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Repsol Honda Team, Honda LCR and Aprilia Racing ahead of another two full days of testing – this time at Lusail International Circuit for the Qatar Test. Finally, it’s Prima Pramac’s turn to take the covers off before we begin the final countdown to racing in our 75th anniversary season.
It’s not season number 75, it’s a celebration of 75 years. The chequered flag at the 2023 finale saw MotoGP™ complete 75 full seasons of competition since the world’s most exciting sport was born in 1949, and we’ve got plenty in store to celebrate. There’s even an all-new 75th anniversary page to check out some of the best content from then and now. More will be added throughout this historic season.
So let’s go! Get suited and booted for a record-breaking 2024 calendar and join us throughout the next few weeks as the countdown continues.
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