Showers throughout the day saw reduced running on the second day of the MotoGP test in Malaysia, Marc Marquez making the most of dry track time as Joan Mir took the opportunity to find some speed in the wet.

Early morning showers left the Sepang circuit damp when it opened at 10am local time, the majority of the MotoGP field waiting to venture out. After an early lunch, both the Repsol Honda Team riders entered the track to start working through their plan. More rain arrived in the afternoon and ended any chance of dry running in the second half of the day as a persistent drizzle remained.

Adding to his 58 laps from the previous day, Marc Marquez did a further 36 laps aboard various configurations of the RC213V. As the track remained completely wet in the afternoon, Marquez used the opportunity to assess the Honda machines in the wet and continue to gather data in a variety of conditions. Ending the day in 13th, the #93 continued through his and Honda HRC’s testing plan in order to prepare for the coming season.

Despite the weather, Joan Mir continued to make the most of all available track time and completed another 36 laps. A best time of 1’59.631 put the newest Repsol Honda Team rider in 16th place, less than 0.2s behind Marquez on the other Repsol Honda Team machine. The #36 was pleased with the progress he made, able to make a step and continue improving his feeling on the Honda RC213V.

Just a final day of running remains in Malaysia before the Repsol Honda Team return to Japan to continue their preparations for the Portimao Test, March 11 – 12, and the start of the season less than two weeks later at the same venue.

Marc Marquez

13th 1'59.450

“Unfortunately today we couldn’t ride a lot and we had to change our schedule as a result. We were able to do about 25 laps in the dry and then in the wet we were able to confirm a few points. I am working a lot and I am trying to get a lot of information for Honda and to be as clear as possible with my comments. Since it rained today we will have to move our plan for the second day to tomorrow where we are aiming to make a step with the lap time.”

Joan Mir

16th 1'59.632

“The rain today was a pity because it meant we had to change our plan completely. We had a lot of things to try but we only got a few laps in the dry. Still we made the most of what we could and got some laps in the rain where the feeling was not so bad. I was able to improve with each lap and each exit which is the really important thing. We were faster than yesterday and I’m feeling more comfortable on the Honda. There’s still a lot of work to do so let’s hope the weather is good tomorrow and focus on what we have to try.”

MotoGP 2023
Testing

Sepang Test Day Two

Wet
Humidity
83%
Track Temp
27°C
Air Temp
28°C
Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Martin Jorge SPA 1'58.736
2 Oliveira Miguel 88 POR RNF MotoGP Team Aprilia 0.103
3 Espargaro Pol 44 SPA Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing KTM 0.145
4 Quartararo Fabio FRA 0.161
5 Bagnaia Francesco ITA 0.331
6 Fernandez Raul 25 SPA RNF MotoGP Team Aprilia 0.376
7 Marini Luca ITA 0.382
8 Rins Alex 42 SPA LCR Honda Honda 0.427
9 Bastianini Enea 23 ITA Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 0.458
10 Binder Brad RSA 0.494
11 Morbidelli Franco ITA 0.553
12 Bezzecchi Marco ITA 0.625
13 Marquez Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 0.714
14 Di Giannantonio Fabio ITA 0.766
15 Zarco Johann FRA 0.767
16 Mir Joan 36 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 0.896
17 Marquez Alex 73 SPA Team Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati 1.011
18 Vinales Maverick SPA 1.034
19 Miller Jack 43 AUS Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 1.123
20 Espargaro Aleix SPA 1.281
21 Nakagami Takaaki JPN 1.487