Testing resumes in Malaysia under intense weather
The second Sepang test has begun in Malaysia with the return of the customary thunderstorm at 16h00. All riders took to the track early this morning to get to work on their individual test schedules before taking a break at lunchtime as track temperatures reached 59ºC.
Dani Pedrosa spent this first day working on mapping settings and suspension and finished his day with a run in the wet. He finished the day second fastest with his time of 2’00.543 on lap 20 of 52, just 0.129s off fastest man, Rossi. Marc Marquez unfortunately suffered a problem with brake discs that affected him for the whole session. He completed a total of 43 laps with his best time of 2’01.190 on lap 24.
Dani Pedrosa
"Today we focused on testing different setups for the bike and I think it went well. We have not tried any new parts, instead confirming our findings with what we had at the last test, even though the track was not perfect. It rained at the end, so we could also ride a little in those conditions. Tomorrow we will continue testing some changes to the setup, to see if we can come up with some improvements that allow us to ride more comfortably."
Marc Marquez
"Today was a slightly strange day and not very productive, because I had some difficulties with the front brakes from the first run-out. We focused on improving that aspect of the bike and could only do runs of one or two laps. That took up the time we had allotted for trying other things and prevented us from progressing. Now we will try to find the source of the problem and tomorrow we hope to continue with the testing plan."
Results Session
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rossi Valentino | 46 | ITA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 2'00.414 |
| 2 | Pedrosa Dani | 26 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 2'00.543 |
| 3 | Espargaro Pol | 44 | SPA | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 2'00.876 |
| 4 | Espargaro Aleix | 41 | SPA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki | 2'01.055 |
| 5 | Lorenzo Jorge | 99 | SPA | Movistar Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 2'01.162 |
| 6 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 2'01.190 |
| 7 | Crutchlow Cal | 35 | GBR | CWM LCR Honda | Honda | 2'01.222 |
| 8 | Smith Bradley | 38 | GBR | Monster Yamaha Tech 3 | Yamaha | 2'01.241 |
| 9 | Vinales Maverick | 25 | SPA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki | 2'01.317 |
| 10 | Dovizioso Andrea | 4 | ITA | Mission Winnow Ducati | Ducati | 2'01.355 |
| 11 | Redding Scott | 45 | GBR | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | Honda | 2'01.592 |
| 12 | Bautista Alvaro | 19 | SPA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 2'01.740 |
| 13 | Barbera Hector | 8 | SPA | Avintia Racing | Ducati | 2'01.926 |
| 15 | Iannone Andrea | 29 | ITA | Mission Winnow Ducati | Ducati | 2'02.142 |
| 16 | Petrucci Danilo | 9 | ITA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 2'02.225 |
| 17 | Abraham Karel | 17 | CZE | AB Motoracing | Honda | 2'02.394 |
| 18 | Bradl Stefan | 6 | GER | Athina Forward Racing | Forward Yamaha | 2'02.410 |
| 19 | Hernandez Yonny | 68 | COL | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 2'02.606 |
| 20 | Laverty Eugene | 50 | IRE | Aspar Team | Honda | 2'02.730 |
| 21 | Di Meglio Mike | 63 | FRA | Avintia Racing | Ducati | 2'02.941 |
| 22 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | LCR Honda | Honda | 2'03.006 |
| 23 | Pirro Michele | ITA | Ducati | Ducati | 2'03.105 | |
| 24 | Baz Loris | 76 | FRA | Athina Forward Racing | Forward Yamaha | 2'03.316 |
| 25 | Nakasuga Katsuyuki | T1 | JPN | Yamaha Test Team | Yamaha | 2'03.337 |
| 26 | De Angelis Alex | 15 | RSM | E-Motion IodaRacing Team | ART | 2'03.966 |
| 27 | Melandri Marco | 33 | ITA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 2'04.000 |
Location Information
Specifically built for speed and exciting racing, the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia is one of the world’s best. The 2,300 acre complex cost around £50m to construct and was built in just 14 months, holding its first Grand Prix in April 1999 and setting the standard for race circuits… read more.
| Length | 5.543 kilometres / 3.444 miles |
| Width | 25 metres |
| Left corners | 5 |
| Right corners | 10 |
| Longest straight | 0.920 kilometres / 0.572 miles |
| Constructed | 1998 |
Sepang International Circuit Klia Pahang Malaysia - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m 59.053s (167.6km/h) Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 2015) |
| Race Lap | 2m 00.606s (165.4km/h) Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha, 2015) |
| Race Time | 40m 32.372s (164.0 km/h) Marc Marquez (Honda, 2018) |
| 2018 Race Winner | Marc Marquez (Honda) |
