Ducati factory rider Enea Bastianini achieved a new lap record at the MotoGP Sepang circuit during the second day of the initial pre-season test. Bastianini, who had a challenging 2023 season marred by injuries, showed exceptional performance on the 2024-spec Ducati, surpassing last year’s version. In the final hour of the day’s action, he claimed the top spot on the timing screens with a record-setting time of 1m57.134s. Bastianini’s subsequent lap was on track to be the first-ever 1m56s, but he lost control in the final sector. On Wednesday, Ducati focused on aerodynamic improvements and continued to demonstrate the strength of their new 2024-spec machinery.
Jorge Martin of Pramac Ducati, who set the pace on the first day, held the lead for most of the second day with a lap record that surpassed Pecco Bagnaia’s previous benchmark. Brad Binder (KTM), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia), and Bagnaia himself also achieved lap times below the previous record. Among those riding year-old Ducatis, Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati) was the fastest, edging out Gresini rider Alex Marquez by 0.053s. Di Giannantonio’s teammate Marco Bezzecchi was poised to improve his position but crashed on a fast lap, ultimately finishing in ninth place. Impressive rookie Pedro Acosta placed between Marquez and Bezzecchi in eighth, six tenths of a second behind the leading Bastianini. Before today, no bikes other than Ducatis had recorded lap times in the 1m57s range at Sepang, but on Wednesday, every manufacturer broke that barrier.
Among the other manufacturers, Honda’s Joan Mir and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo led the way with their respective lap times of 1m57.8s. Quartararo consistently performed well in the first and second sectors but lost time in the latter part of the lap. However, it was not a day of complete optimism for Honda, as new signing Luca Marini found the new RC213V less competitive during longer stints. Marc Marquez of Gresini Ducati, who had a disrupted Tuesday, completed 72 laps and finished as the 14th-fastest rider, within a second of Bastianini.
Throughout the day, there were crashes in the last corner for Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) and Maverick Vinales (Aprilia), as well as falls for Acosta and his Tech3 Gas Gas teammate Augusto Fernandez, who had also crashed the previous day. Franco Morbidelli, a regular rider, was unable to participate in the pre-season test due to a road bike testing accident, while Raul Fernandez was sidelined after a highside on Tuesday. As a result, Pramac Ducati and the new Trackhouse Aprilia team utilized test riders Michele Pirro and Lorenzo Savadori, respectively.
The Sepang pre-season test will conclude on Thursday, with MotoGP teams then heading to Qatar for the second and final pre-season test on February 19-20. Bastianini ended day two with an impressive performance, topping the timesheets with a blazing time of 1:57.134, ahead of Jorge Martin and Brad Binder.