The second official MotoGP test of 2012 commences this week in Malaysia, where the majority of the factory and CRT teams will be in present to continue their preparations for the start of the new season.

Four weeks after the first official test of the year at the Sepang International Circuit, the MotoGP teams and riders return to the Malaysian track this week (Tuesday through Thursday) to continue with the developments of their new 1000cc prototypes ahead of the start of the world championship season in Qatar on 8 April.

The first MotoGP test of the year concluded with the new 1000cc machines noticeably quicker than the 800s of last year, with World Champion Casey Stoner setting the standard as he lapped over a half second ahead of the rest of the field on his RC213V. He and his Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa, who was third fastest at the last test, will again be fine-tuning with their new 1000cc over the course of the three days.

Yamaha Factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies, who arrived in Malaysia early for the MotoXpo event in Kuala Lumpur, are ready to provide their team further data and feedback regarding the new updates to the 1000cc YZR-M1.The pair will again be joined by Yamaha test riders Waturu Yoshikawa and Katsuyuki Nakasuga at the test.

Valentino Rossi concluded the last test satisfied with the front end changes made to the Ducati Team GP12, and returns to Sepang to continue with the accelerated development of the new Ducati machine alongside teammate Nicky Hayden and test rider Franco Battaini.

Hayden is returning to the track in better form following a shoulder surgery performed on February 5th, to correct an injury that hindered the American’s ability to ride in the last test.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow will look to build on what was a successful opening test, while Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Racing Team) and Héctor Barberá (Pramac Racing) return to the track after a private test on a shared GP12 last week in Jerez.

Alvaro Bautista will have his second ride on the Gresini Team’s Honda and Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl will gain more important experience ahead of his debut season in the premier class with the LCR Honda team.

Attending CRT riders include Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards onboard the Suter-BMW, and Avintia Racing’s Iván Silva and Yonny Hernandez continuing development of the BQR-FTR.