The long-awaited return to action of the MotoGP is set to happen this week at the Sepang International Circuit, which simultaneously marks the comeback of the World Championship to Malaysia and the opening of the 2022 season for the newly formed WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP team. Just shortly after presenting their fresh colors, the international crew is eager to try their Yamaha YZR-M1 machines for the first time this year.

Darryn Binder had the chance to use three additional days riding at the Sepang International Circuit just a few days earlier. The premier class rookie took good advantage of the shakedown test and is impatiently waiting now to share the track with the entire MotoGP class field.

The official IRTA test takes place on Saturday, the 5th and Sunday, the 6th February at the demanding 5.543-kilometer circuit that has traditionally been host of the season preparations until 2020. Following this first roll-out of the year, the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP team riders together with the rest of the championship will head over to Indonesia for a three-days test at the new Mandalika Circuit Indonesia, which will be included in the World Championship calendar for the very first time in 2022.

Darryn Binder

“These three days of shakedown have been pretty intense already, so it was good to get two days of rest, but we took it step by step and improved each day. Now I’m really looking forward to have someone like Dovi with a load of experience next to me in the garage. I hope that I can work with him and learn a lot from him. The plan is the same every day here, arrive and trying to learn as much as possible, keep moving forward and gaining a little bit, while not doing anything too crazy. I just want to progress each day, to figure things out and further improve gradually.”