MADRID, 7 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Italian rider Enea Bastianini (Ducati) dominated the second day of MotoGP testing at the Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), thanks to a penultimate lap with a record on the Asian track, followed by the Spanish Jorge Martín (Ducati), very close in the second place, and South African Brad Binder (KTM), third, while Marc Márquez completed more than 70 laps and was seventh in the time table.
'The Beast' rolled for 47 laps on the Sepang circuit, and in the penultimate lap shattered the track record, setting a 1:57.134, further proof that the 1:56 mark will soon fall. The official Ducati rider finished this second day closely followed by Jorge Martín from Madrid, who once again showed good pace from the beginning, leading the first session, and then one tenth behind the Italian.
The 'podium' at the end of the second day of testing was completed by Binder and his KTM, just 54 thousandths behind the Prima Pramac Racing rider, with the also Spanish Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia), very close to the first two Ducati (1:57.446 ). The 'top 5' was closed by the champion 'Pecco' Bagnaia (Ducati), just over three tenths behind his teammate, who redeemed himself from a discreet first day in Sepang.
And up to eleven pilots were in 1:57, with special mention for the Ducatis ridden by Martín, Bastianini and Baganaia, with the new engine, which seems to work wonderfully. However, most of the work of these pilots focused on aerodynamics, in search of a consensus within the Bologna structure.
Marc Márquez continues to improve with Gresini and the Ducati, completing 72 laps – more than anyone else this Wednesday – and recording a good 1:58.118, more than half a second faster than the best time in the 2023 test in Sepang with Honda. That time only allowed him to be fourteenth, although he enjoyed two more peaceful sessions, after the four technical problems that he had to deal with on Tuesday.
His brother and teammate Álex (Ducati) did something better, with good pace and even practicing the Sprint, doing a total of 56 laps. His best time came in the tenth, to place him seventh in the day's classification, half a second off the best time. Just ahead of Pedro Acosta (KTM), who suffered a crash (1:57.726), with teammate Augusto Fernández frustrated by his lack of progress, 1.7 seconds behind in 20th position.
Without the convalescent Raúl Fernández (KTM) or Franco Morbidelli (Ducati), the Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati) also crashed in the final part of the day, after setting the ninth fastest time. While Joan Mir (Repsol Honda) completed the 'top 10', although already seven tenths behind the time set by 'La Bestia'.
Finally, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) had problems with rear grip and was uncomfortably comfortable on the Sepang track, with no options to fight to be at the top of the time table, which is why he was eighteenth.