Results From Day 1 Of Second Sepang MotoGP Test

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

With the absence of Marc Marquez from the second Sepang MotoGP test, due to a broken leg suffered in a training accident, another Honda rider took his place at the top of the time sheets, though it’s not who you might think. Alvaro Bautista on the Gresini Honda set the fastest time at the end of the first day with a 2:00.848.

The time is 1.3 second slower than the fastest time Marquez set at the last Sepang test. Recent weather conditions have left the track dirty and slippery, according to the riders. As track conditions improve, we can expect the times to improve again tomorrow. Bridgestone has a new rear tire compound for this year, and in this Bautista was working heavily with his engineers developing the correct shock, swingarm, and linkage configurations to work with the tire.

Aleix Espargaro is again impressing everyone in the paddock aboard the Open class Forward Yamaha. He sat at the top of the time sheets for much of the day, but ultimately his time of 2:00.900 was second best on the day. Having the benefit of a softer Bridgestone rear tire specifically for Open class machines helped Espargaro set the fast time, but the team is still looking to prolong that pace throughout a race.

Third fastest on the day was Pol Espargaro (2:00.999), younger brother of Aleix, the MotoGP rookie aboard his Tech 3 Yamaha. Pol’s time is also impressive considering his lack of experience on a premier class machine. He focused on testing different electronics and various small engine parts throughout the day.

Fourth fastest was Andrea Dovizioso aboard the Ducati GP14, with a 2:01.029. He and new teammate, Cal Crutchlow, worked on general bike setup while management decide whether the team will run as an Open class or MSMA. The former will allow 24 liters of fuel (vs. 20 for MSMA entires) and 12 engines per year (vs. five). As opposed to the MSMA machines, which are required to “seal” their five engines at the start of the season, Open entries will not have this requirement. The obvious benefit for the struggling Ducati team if it were to run as an Open entry would be the ability to constantly develop throughout the season. However, Open entries are forced to use the Dorna specified electronics package, whereas MSMA entries are free to use proprietary systems.

The Yamaha team were surprisingly absent from the top of the time sheets, Jorge Lorenzo fifth (2:01.158) and Valentino Rossi seventh (2:01.349). Both riders were working on proper setup with the new Bridgestone rear.

Nicky Hayden clocked the 10th quickest time, his 2:02.227 the best of the customer Honda teams.

Day 1 testing times:

PosRiderTeamFastest lap
1Alvaro BautistaGO&FUN Honda Gresini2:00.848
2Aleix EspargaroNGM Mobile Forward Racing2:00.900
3Pol EspargaroMonster Yamaha Tech 32:00.999
4Andrea DoviziosoDucati Team2:01.029
5Jorge LorenzoYamaha Factory Racing2:01.158
6Dani PedrosaRepsol Honda Team2:01.160
7Valentino RossiYamaha Factory Racing2:01.349
8Stefan BradlLCR Honda MotoGP2:01.491
9Bradley SmithMonster Yamaha Tech 32:01.644
10Nicky HaydenDrive M7 Aspar2:02.227
11Cal CrutchlowDucati Team2:02.319
12Andrea IannonePramac Racing2:02.334
13Hiroshi AoyamaDrive M7 Aspar2:02.709
14Colin EdwardsNGM Mobile Forward Racing2:02.743
15Yonny HernandezEnergy T.I. Pramac Racing2:02.823
16Hector BarberaAvintia Racing2:02.975
17Randy De PunietTeam Suzuki MotoGP2:03.341
18Scott ReddingGO&FUN Honda Gresini2:03.553
19Michele PirroDucati Test Team2:03.991
20Katsuyuki NakasugaYamaha Factory Test Team2:04.165
21Mike Di MeglioAvintia Racing2:04.885
22Karel AbrahamCardion AB Motoracing2:05.638
23Nobuatsu AokiTeam Suzuki MotoGP2:07.302
Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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