MotoGP has confirmed the pre-season testing calendar for 2027, the first campaign of the new 850cc era, and riders will get fewer days than usual to make sense of it all.
The winter really begins with the Valencia Test on December 1, 2026, where the fresh line-ups will turn their first laps on all-new 850cc machinery at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. From there, the schedule follows the familiar Sepang-and-Buriram pattern, but with the days trimmed back.
The Sepang Shakedown, restricted to factory test riders and rookies, runs January 29-30. It then rolls straight into the first official Sepang Test for the full grid on January 31 and February 1, with no rest day in between. As Crash.net notes, both Malaysian outings have been cut from three days to two, meaning some riders will be on track for four consecutive days and rookies lose meaningful preparation time before the opener. The final test then moves to Buriram on February 6-7.
That Buriram outing is the schedule's most notable shift. In previous years the Thai test sat immediately before the season opener; however, for 2027 it's been pulled forward by roughly a month. Per Crash.net, manufacturers requested the earlier date to buy more time for machine modifications ahead of round one. The trade-off is a compressed gap between Sepang and Buriram, which as a result leaves little room to react to what the bikes reveal in Malaysia. Altogether, it adds up to just six days of testing in total, and only four for non-rookies, compared to eight days for rookies and nine days for other riders, in this year's winter test schedule.
The stakes are high given how much changes for 2027: the drop to 850cc, revised chassis and electronics, and a switch in tire supplier to Pirelli. Engine homologation and initial aero packages freeze at round one, and with every manufacturer starting the new era in B concession rank, Yamaha and Honda - currently in rank D - must also lock in their initial 2027 engine designs.
Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro's Botafogo Beach hosts the ceremonial Season Launch on February 21, before the Thai Grand Prix opens the campaign at Buriram on March 5-7. The full 2027 calendar has yet to be published.
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