What occurred at MotoGP’s official season launch in Kuala Lumpur

MotoGP staged its second-ever season launch occasion in Kuala Lumpur this weekend, lower than a month earlier than the opening spherical of the 12 months in Thailand.

After breaking new floor with an analogous joint occasion in Bangkok final 12 months, MotoGP introduced all groups and riders collectively to the guts of Malaysia’s capital for a particular occasion marking the unofficial begin of the 2026 marketing campaign.

Though Dorna had initially zeroed in at Singapore because the venue for this 12 months’s launch, logistical challenges brought on by the quick hole between the Sepang check on 3-5 February and the occasion itself prompted the championship to go for Kuala Lumpur as a substitute.

The town has all the time been a preferred vacation spot for MotoGP, with a number of groups traditionally selecting town for his or her particular person bike reveals. The celebrations for the 2026 season launch kicked off on Friday, only a day after the MotoGP grid accomplished the primary pre-season check on the Sepang Worldwide Circuit.

All 2026 bikes had been positioned on show at a few of the most acquainted landmarks in Kuala Lumpur, together with in entrance of the 421m-tall Kuala Lumpur Tower, which has been a defining function of town’s skyline since 1991.

Later that night, all riders gathered atop the Permata Sapura Tower for a photograph alternative, with the enduring Petronas Towers serving because the backdrop for the shoot.

MotoGP riders group photograph

Picture by: Steve Wobser / Getty Pictures

The primary occasion started on Saturday night, as MotoGP reworked town centre right into a road circuit. Devoted garages for all 11 groups had been arrange within the neighborhood of the Petronas Towers, together with a makeshift pitlane to permit riders to enter and exit the observe.

After dusk, the riders took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur, performing wheelies and stoppies on a closed-off stretch of street in entrance of the Petronas Towers. Working in reverse order of final 12 months’s standings, Pramac and LCR had been first out on observe, with Ducati closing the present.

Solely 2021 champion Fabio Quartararo and MotoGP sophomore Fermin Aldeguer had been lacking from the showrun, with even Jorge Martin returning to the Aprilia RS-GP after lacking the Sepang check to get well from surgical procedure. Yamaha drafted in Augusto Fernandez to switch the injured Quartararo, whereas Gresini elected to run solo with final 12 months’s runner-up Alex Marquez.

After every run, riders made their method up a particularly constructed stage in entrance of Suriya KLCC, a big shopping center situated on the foot of the Petronas Tower. All 20 riders addressed the gang individually earlier than stopping to work together with followers and pose for images.

MotoGP additionally performed interviews with a number of workforce bosses, with newly-appointed Tech3 workforce co-owner Guenther Steiner amongst these in attendance.

When it comes to leisure, native band DOLLA and worldwide stars PAWSA and The Script took to the stage to carry out in entrance of the viewers. The occasion concluded with all riders returning to the stage for a ultimate group photograph subsequent to their 2026 bikes.

Notably, MotoGP was the one main championship to carry a collective launch occasion this 12 months, with System 1 – additionally owned by Liberty Media – selecting in opposition to a follow-up to its 2025 London occasion as a result of introduction of latest technical rules.