These are the big news from this Tuesday’s Cheste test as the curtain rises on MotoGP 2026

As is tradition, the go-ahead for the next pre-season will be given off at the Comunitat Valenciana circuit in Ceste at 10am today, 48 hours after the end of the MotoGP championship. This will be the first time that (almost) all of the regular riders on the 2026 MotoGP grid, including the two rookies, will be together on the track. There are two exceptions, both due to injuries. That of the MotoGP champion, which will continue from October 5th Marc Marquez He is still recovering from surgery on his right shoulder. Franco Morbidelli He crashed into Aleix Espargaro’s bike as he took to the grid in Ceste this Sunday, breaking his left little finger in a surreal mistake.

The exam will begin with a morning session from 10am to 1pm, followed by a 20-minute lunch break, followed by an afternoon session from 1:20pm. DAZN, the platform with Spanish television rights until 5pm, will be connected throughout the day and can be viewed via Video Pass (for a fee) on the official motogp.com website.

The two biggest pieces of news will be the two drivers who will compete for the Rookie of the Year trophy at the end of the year. Most notable is the appearance of the Turkish, three-time Superbike World Champion. Toprak Razgatriol He returned to the fold of Yamaha, the brand with which he won the first of his three titles, and did several MotoGP tests before bowing out in 2023. ‘Turk’, who just turned 29, has already arrived at the Cheste paddock on Saturday for a meeting with Yamaha and his destination Prima Pramac team. Brazilian category champion is the only rider promoted from Moto2 Diogo MoreiraHe has also signed a factory contract with Honda, and is scheduled to debut with LCR Honda at the age of 21. Niccolo Brega He is expected to continue in place of Marc Marquez, and VR46 is seeking the OK to use a Moto2 rider from the VR46 Academy. Celestino Viettireplaces Morbidelli in this test.

except for losses, Miguel Oliveira and Somkiat Chantra, Riders competing in the World Superbike Championship will be the same as the rest of the riders on the grid, wearing the same colors as they wait for the Mercato to explode in 2027, the year of the cycle change. The harbinger is that the first moves will be made in the preseason. Their future is guaranteed until at least 2028, so freed from them, the two youngest on the grid are Fermin Aldeguer, Diogo Moreira and Toprak Razgratioglu have been officially announced for 2026, but it is suspected that his contract will be longer..

Yamaha discontinues inline 4-cylinder engine

If they did any testing throughout 2025; Augusto Fernandez After several Grand Prix races, this Tuesday Yamaha will officially transition the YZR-M1 from its iconic inline-four engine to a V4 configuration for the 2026 MotoGP season. This Tuesday, all Yamaha riders will have a new bike unit in their hands, giving engineers a clearer direction to take during the winter.

Ducati will suffer losses in the tests of Marc Marquez and Franco Morbidelli, but the ’93 model does not consider it an obstacle: “What calms me down is that we cannot change anything at next year’s engine level. And the aerodynamic issue also has to be decided, but Murray It’s possible to fail the Sear test. If the bike works, it works for everyone, and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work for anyone. Alex and Pecco have both made similar comments. The rationale for my experience is, “We’re progressing now, and next year won’t be much different.”

MotoGP number 1 disappears

Another novelty for 2026 will be the disappearance of No. 1 on the grid. Marc Marquez He leaves it out again. This Sunday at Aprilia Box Jorge Martin He overshadowed the number 1 that had brought him so much misfortune and staged a revival of his beloved number 89. “This is our fresh start,” he said, kissing the RS-GP.