MotoGP: A day of two halves sees Honda and VR46 claim the top three as opposite fortunes for Yamaha see all their machinery stay in the pits on Wednesday.
Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) headed the timesheets on Day 2 in Sepang, putting in a notable laptime and becoming the fastest Honda rider ever at the venue – taking a chunk off test rider Aleix Espargaro’s top lap at the Shakedown last week. Franco Morbidelli slots into second just ahead of teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio as Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team complete the top three. Action was curtailed a little early due to rain, but the morning made for some interesting laptimes…
One of the biggest stories of the day, however, was off track – Yamaha. After an issue on Day 1 for Fabio Quartararo – after his crash which later caused him to withdraw from the remainder of the test – the all-new YZR-M1 was kept in the pits on Wednesday. A precaution from the Iwata marque as they say they know the issue but not the cause and are investigating before doing any more running. So both Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP and Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP stayed in the box on Day 2.
HONDA HRC CASTROL & HONDA LCR
Mir will take the plaudits on the second day in Sepang. It’s the factory’s first time dipping their toe in the coveted 1:56s, which confirms their continued progress that we saw towards the end of last season. Both Mir and Honda HRC Castrol teammate Luca Marini remain very positive about the performance of the 2026 RC213V, but – as expected and understandably – they’re keeping their feet firmly on the ground, insisting that they’re not looking at the timesheets. Marini ended the day sixth fastest with the mileage limited due to the afternoon weather, as HRC eye another solid day at the office on Thursday to head to Thailand in very good shape.
In the LCR box, Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) was also pleased with the how Day 2 went, with the Frenchman looking to have a solid long run on the final day to see where the package stacks up to the competition. And of course, Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) was back on track and said that he made solid progress in the morning, while also getting a taste of what his Honda feels like in the wet conditions for the first time. The Brazilian is upbeat about his feeling on a MotoGP bike heading into the final day of testing in Sepang.
DUCATI LENOVO TEAM, PERTAMINA ENDURO VR46 RACING TEAM & BK8 GRESINI RACING MOTOGP
Continuing to go about their business quietly and methodically, Ducati’s charge was led by Morbidelli in second – the only rider other than Mir to drop into the 1’56s. A 1’56.983 was good enough for the Italian, just 0.109s adrift of Mir and Honda in P1. Giannantonio continued his strong test and was third overall, a further 0.066s behind the #21, and said the front end feeling was a key improvement.
In factory red, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was again in P8 as his test continued; despite wanting to do a Sprint simulation, the morning saw him do six runs but none more than four laps long. Still, he was very positive about his feeling come the end of play. Teammate and reigning World Champion Marc Marquez was taking it easier on day two having topped the opening day of action and was 15th after a total of 30 laps. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), meanwhile, became the latest rider to crash at Turn 5 as he was back testing the 2024 aero package. He was OK and did go back out in the brief dry spell in the afternoon but didn’t improve his morning time, finishing 12th overall.
RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING & RED BULL KTM TECH3
Over at the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing outfit, Pedro Acosta was in fine form, setting laps in the low 1’57s – quicker than KTM’s previous fastest ever time at Sepang but yet to crack the 1’56s. The Spaniard used an updated front fairing both in the wet and dry, getting valuable data en-route to fourth. Brad Binder was the lowest-placed KTM in 13th, his tougher day compounded by a couple of messy practice starts. As well as his on-track exploits, however, it’s also worth noting that he continues to develop his working relationship with new crew chief Phil Marron.
At Red Bull KTM Tech3, Maverick Viñales took advantage of the rain to spin some wet laps and acquire useful data and experience whereas Enea Bastianini remained in the box and completed the top ten. It’s a marked improvement for Tech 3 as during the same test last season, both riders weren’t just continuing their adaptation but struggling to find a direction. This year, they’re firmly in the top ten with fifth and tenth respectively on day two – let’s see what time attacks on day three bring.
APRILIA RACING & TRACKHOUSE MOTOGP TEAM
Marco Bezzecchi continued his honeymoon with the RS-GP in P6, fastest Aprilia, with Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse MotoGP Team right on his tail. Speaking of, the tail unit of the Aprilia caused plenty of chat on Day 2, with new aero fins sticking straight up making their debut in pitlane, which was tested back-to-back. The Noale factory were also testing a swingarm.
Ai Ogura slotted into P9 for Trackhouse, with only Bagnaia in eighth splitting the Aprilia-running race riders on Wednesday. Test rider Lorenzo Savadori was also back out putting in the kilometers.
That’s all she wrote on Day 2, but there’s more to come on Thursday in a final push at Sepang.
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