Sepang Test, Day 2: Morbidelli surprises, Yamaha confirms

The second day of pre-season testing of MotoGP in Sepang (Malaysia) was synonymous with a return to normal as far as the weather is concerned. The cold track and strong winds gave way to more clement conditions for all the factories, which were able to store more precise data on their new parts.

In terms of time, Franco Morbidelli spent most of the session in the lead, and ended the day with the reference time. The Italian driver from VR46, who is riding this season on the same machine as last year, the Desmosedici GP24, set a record in 1:57.210. He thus beat the time imposed by fabio quartararo the day before in 1:57.555.

Enough to comfort the team of Valentino Rossi, disabled by Fabio Di Giannantonio, returned to Europe following a broken collarbone.

Yamaha still in shape

The Frenchman didn't give up, however, as he finished second on Day 2, with a time of 1:57.324. The 2021 world champion is still enjoying the advantage Yamaha has over the other factories, having taken part in the Shakedown to fine-tune their settings ahead of these tests.

If the results of the Iwata brand are a good omen for the future, it will be interesting to compare these rankings to those that the Yamaha riders will obtain in Buriram next week. A circuit on which no one will have previous experience with the new machines.

His teammate, Alex Rins, is twelfth, behind Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira who seem to be starting to understand all the subtleties of their M1. The Pramac drivers each block a place in the top-10.

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Ai Ogura at the Sepang Test © Michelin

Aprilia recovers from the events

Aprilia was racing with a reduced squad after injuries to Raul Fernandez and Jorge Martin. The brand's hopes now rest on Marco Bezzecchi and Noale's test rider Lorenzo Savadori. Trackhouse rookie Ai Ogura focused more on learning MotoGP.

Despite the absences, Aprilia's technical director was able to confirm that the brand's test program is being respected. He also mentioned unsuspected qualities in Marco Bezzecchi, in terms of machine adjustment. The Italian finished in ninth place.

All brands in the top 10

All the manufacturers showed that they could compete at the front during this second day of testing. While they all have very different programs, which are not particularly focused on pure performance, the times were quite similar. The top 13 thus finished this second day of testing at Sepang in the same second.

The other Frenchman on the grid, Johann Zarco, was in the top 10 on his Honda before the lunch break. He finally finished the day with the twelfth time.

Johann Zarco at the Sepang Test © Michelin

Aldeguer impresses again

The new recruit of the Gresini team, Fermin Aldeguer, continues to put on a show. The Spaniard finished the session with the fourth fastest time, still just behind his teammate, Alex Marquez, with whom he is comparable.

Ai Ogura and Somkiat Chantra are at the bottom of the ranking, with the 18th and 20th times. It should nevertheless be remembered that the other Rookies in the field not only have less powerful machines, but also have less information about them.

While they have to perfect their MotoGP apprenticeship with the new Aprilia and Honda bikes on the fringes of the start of the season, Aldeguer can do it with a bike whose potential and secrets are already well known. The reigning champion Ducati Desmosedici GP24, which he has in his hands, had four examples on the previous MotoGP grid.

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MotoGP – Sepang Test – Day 2 Classification

Ranking : MotoTiming