Repsol Honda Team working for Saturday improvements in Thailand
Hot temperatures and hot laps were in abundance in Buriram on Friday as practice for round 18 got underway, Luca Marini finishing in 17th and Joan Mir in 19th – both ready to work for improvements tomorrow.
The 4.55 kilometres of the Chang International Circuit roared into life once again as the Repsol Honda Team, and the rest of the MotoGP World Championship, started Friday practice. Conditions were as warm as ever in Thailand, putting an even greater demand on the riders. As is often the case at tracks like Buriram, times were incredibly close as 19 riders were split by one second when all was said and done.
Luca Marini finished the day in 17th position with a best time of 1’30.138, ending 0.973s shy of P1. It was a productive day for the Italian as he and his team spent much of it experimenting with new and different bike setups to continue to deepen their understanding and prepare for next year. Saturday’s objective is to put it all together and deliver a strong flying lap – just three tenths would move Marini to the edge of the top ten.
Setting a best lap of 1’30.217 in the afternoon, Joan Mir finished Friday in 19th spot. Improving his time by 1.2 second from the morning to the afternoon, the #36 spent much of the day working to improve the recent vibrations he has been feeling. The speed of both LCR Honda riders has Mir adamant that he can improve his fortunes come Qualifying.
Luca Marini
“It’s always incredible how close MotoGP is, putting in a good lap is really important and even the smallest difference can change your position a lot. I wasn’t able to put in this really good lap today, so we have some margin to improve tomorrow still. We spent a decent amount of time trying different things with the bike, with one eye on next year. There are some points to still understand, but we found some positives – especially in braking with these changes. I also need to work on my riding, to keep improving that as the bike evolves. I am looking forward to delivering more tomorrow.”
Joan Mir
“Tonight we need to work well to match the results of Taka and Zarco, because they show that there is more to unlock. It was a difficult day for me as we still have some vibrations in the bike which means I am not able to show my full potential. We need to work to understand what the other riders are doing and why I am suffering more than the others. When you give your 100% you don’t have regret, and I am always giving my 100%.”
Grand Prix of Thailand - Friday Practice
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 1'29.165 |
| 2 | Martin Jorge | 89 | SPA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 0.110 |
| 3 | Bastianini Enea | 23 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 0.162 |
| 4 | Bagnaia Francesco | 1 | ITA | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 0.195 |
| 5 | Vinales Maverick | 12 | SPA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 0.341 |
| 6 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 0.384 |
| 7 | Acosta Pedro | 31 | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech 3 | KTM | 0.437 |
| 8 | Marquez Alex | 73 | SPA | Team Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati | 0.448 |
| 9 | Bezzecchi Marco | 72 | ITA | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.455 |
| 10 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | LCR Honda | Honda | 0.517 |
| 11 | Binder Brad | 33 | RSA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.518 |
| 12 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 0.591 |
| 13 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 0.672 |
| 14 | Fernandez Raul | 25 | SPA | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 0.692 |
| 15 | Nakagami Takaaki | 30 | JPN | LCR Honda | Honda | 0.831 |
| 16 | Di Giannantonio Fabio | 49 | ITA | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | Ducati | 0.834 |
| 17 | Marini Luca | 10 | ITA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 0.973 |
| 18 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 1.033 |
| 19 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 1.052 |
| 20 | Fernandez Augusto | 37 | SPA | Red Bull GASGAS Tech 3 | KTM | 1.264 |
| 21 | Savadori Lorenzo | 32 | ITA | Trackhouse Racing | Aprilia | 1.847 |
| 22 | Espargaro Aleix | 41 | SPA | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 2.218 |
Location Information
Designed by German architect Herman Tilke, the Buriram International Circuit opened in 2014 and will see MotoGP™ making its debut this season. Located around 410km northeast from the country’s capital of Bangkok, the town of Buriram in the Buriram province literally translates into “city of happiness”, and its typically hot… read more.
| Length | 4.6 km / 2.83 miles |
| Width | 12 metres / 39.37 ft. |
| Left corners | 5 |
| Right corners | 7 |
| Longest straight | 1 km / 3280.84 ft. |
| Constructed | 2014 |
| Modified | / |
444 Moo 15 Buriram Chang Wat Buri Ram 31000, Thailand - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position Record | 1m28.700s (184.8 Km/h) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2024) |
| Race Lap Record | 1m30.896s (180.3 Km/h) Jorge Martin (Ducati, 2023) |
| 2024 Sprint Winner | Enea Bastianini (Ducati) |
| 2024 Winner | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) |
