MADRID, 11 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish rider Jorge Martín (Ducati) has led this Saturday the second and penultimate day of the official MotoGP test at the Sepang International Circuit, in which the rain has set the tone on the track and has altered the work plans of the different equipment.
With a time of 1:58.736 -signed dry in the middle of the day-, the man from Madrid dominated on a day in which, with two and a half hours to go, the rain broke in again, frustrating the plans of ‘ time attack’. The Portuguese Miguel Oliveira (Yamaha) and the Catalan Pol Espargaró (GasGas) completed the ‘podium’ of the day.
The current world champion in the premier class, the Italian Francesco Bagnaia, was once again in charge of testing the new aerodynamic package provided by Ducati, completing a total of 35 laps and finishing in the ‘Top 5’ of the day.
Among those from Borgo Panigale, Enea Bastianini tested the new aerodynamic package with the engine specification of his GP23 and ninth this Saturday, with his factory mates Luca Marini -seventh-, Marco Bezzecchi -twelfth-, Fabio Di Giannantonio -fourteenth- and Alex Márquez -seventeenth- testing the new parts.
At Yamaha, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, fourth on the time sheets, started the day with the new aerodynamic package on both bikes and tested the downwash ducts that test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga debuted on day one. Meanwhile, Franco Morbidelli, eleventh, focused his work on testing the oldest aerodynamics and Cal Crutchlow returned to the track after not participating in the first day.
For his part, the eighth world champion Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) kept the four RC213Vs on his side of the box; His two 2023 development bikes have different chassis, one being the stock 2023 chassis and the other, the one Stefan Bradl tested. Joan Mir and Alex Rins also have two machines to develop with the 2023 specification.
At Aprilia, the 2023-spec RS-GP features an updated aerodynamic package, a different tailpiece and a small update to the exhausts. At GasGas, Pol Espargaró rode a motorcycle with a new chassis and with the aerodynamic update tested by Binder and Miller in Valencia; his teammate and rookie Augusto Fernández (Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing) focused on testing some parts.
Finally, on KTM, the South African Brad Binder closed the ‘Top 10’ in a day in which he worked mainly on aerodynamics, while the Australian Jack Miller was nineteenth.