Valentino Rossi marked his first ride at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit by posting competitive lap times on a Yamaha R1 GYTR road bike during a two-day VR46 Riders Academy training session. The event, held ahead of the official 2026 MotoGP pre-season tests at Sepang, brought Rossi together with several academy riders on the Indonesian track.
Most of the academy riders, including Marco Bezzecchi and Franco Morbidelli, used Ducati Panigales, while Luca Marini rode a Honda CBR1000RR-R and Bezzecchi took an Aprilia RSV4 1100. Rossi stood out on his Yamaha R1 GYTR, a machine more commonly associated with road use than MotoGP competition.
On the first day, Rossi’s best lap was 2.3 seconds slower than the reference time set by Francesco Bagnaia on a Ducati Panigale, which clocked a 1min 33.937s lap. On the second day, he improved his pace and cut the gap to 1.9 seconds behind Bagnaia’s fastest time of 1min 33.557s, set ahead of Bezzecchi and Morbidelli by narrow margins.
These results are noteworthy given Rossi’s age and the fact he was riding a production-based machine rather than a dedicated race bike. The test provided valuable track experience ahead of his next scheduled competition appearance at the Bathurst 12 Hour in February, where he will compete in the GT World Challenge Europe aboard a BMW for Team WRT.
Rossi’s presence and performance in Mandalika also highlight the ongoing role he plays in mentoring young riders in the VR46 Academy and maintaining his connection to the world of high-performance motorcycle racing.
