Source: Suzuki Racing.

Suzuki MotoGP begins 2015 pre-season testing at Sepang in Malaysia this week in preparation for its return to the premier class of motorcycle racing at Losail, Qatar, on 29 March.

Despite a forced winter testing ban, new team riders Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales, plus Suzuki’s factory technicians, have been hard at work training and continuing development of the 2015 GSX-RR MotoGP machine that the young Spaniards will race in the 18-round series.

The official four-day test will see all the 2015 MotoGP factory teams together on track for the first time between 4-7 February and the first opportunity for Espargaro and Vinales to evaluate the new developments made to the GSX-RR at Suzuki’s development centre in Ryuyo in Japan since the previous tests in November.

Suzuki MotoGP Team Manager Davide Brivio said: “We are going to start the first test of the season, it is just another test for us, but the feeling this time is completely different as this is the real preparation for the coming season that starts very soon.

“Going to Sepang we are in the same situation as everybody else as we start to prepare for our first season and of course we are all very excited. We have just finished assembling the new bikes in Japan and we know that our riders can’t wait to get back on the bikes as we start this new project and understand where we are at regarding development.”

Espargaro is coming off a strong season with the Forward Racing Yamaha team, excited to commence his career as a factory rider in the premier class.

“I’m really excited to get back to the track again on my Suzuki,” Espargaro said. “The first tests in Valencia and Jerez last November were good and satisfying so we have basically kept working in the same direction and targeting the first race of the season.

“We will have lots of hours testing in Malaysia which means that there’s plenty of time to try the new bike and I’m sure that we can be competitive against the other teams and riders.”

For Vinales, the 2015 season will mark his first in MotoGP and he’s looking to gain vital test miles in the lead-up to his race debut at Qatar.

“I’m 100 percent ready to get back in action again and I can’t wait to get on the bike in Sepang,” Vinales commented. “I’ve spent most of my time over the winter riding motocross, cycling and ice racing and I have done whatever I could do to be fit and ready for the first test.

“I’m confident in my physical condition and I believe that the Suzuki engineers and our team has kept working hard during the winter months. I’m very excited to see the progress made on the bike. I already have a very positive feeling from the tests in November and my expectations for my first MotoGP season with Suzuki are extremely high.”