2018 Thailand MotoGP Test Day 2: Marquez Fastest; Under 1:30 Lap Time

The reigning MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez could not beat Suzuki’s Alex Rins or Honda’s Cal Crutchlow Friday during the debut MotoGP test at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit.

But come Saturday, the second of three days in the 2018 MotoGP test with temps once again over 100 degrees (F), Respol Honda’s Marquez was the rider to beat.

As he celebrated his 25th birthday, the Spaniard posted the first-ever sub 1:30 minute lap time at Chang, which debuts on the MotoGP calendar after hosting World Superbike for three years.

Honda’s Marc Marquez

Marquez claimed the top time of 1:29.969 on lap 91 of 97. He worked on his RC213V’s aerodynamics and suspension setup, and also tested a new spec-Michelin rear tire during the test.

Marquez lapped the flat, 2.83-mile circuit containing 12 corners 0.158 of a second ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa, and 0.216 of a second ahead of Alma Pramac Racing Ducati’s Jack Miler.

“First of all, I’d like to say thank you to all my fans as I’ve received many, many messages for my birthday,” Marc Marquez says. “The best way to celebrate is on my bike, as I really enjoy riding it! Today was a good day.

“We started by playing with the setup a bit in the beginning of the session. Then we went on to try some Michelin rear tyres, which weren’t bad, and we also worked on the aerodynamics. At the end of the day, we put together our best package and we went faster. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow, as it seems that the track gets better and better every day, and so do the other riders. That said, I think we’re doing a great job in our garage and we’ll try to continue on that path.”

Honda’s Dani Pedrsoa

With two Hondas and a Ducati claiming the top-three positions, Yamaha YZR-M1 machinery locked in the fourth and fifth spots: Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Vinales and Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Johann Zarco, respectively. Vinales finished with a 1:30.2741, which was 0.305 of a second behind Marquez and 0.086 ahead of the Zarco.

Alma Pramac Racing Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci finished sixth, ahead of Friday’s second-place finisher, Rins, and Friday’s leader, Crutchlow. Rounding out the top 10 were the Ducati Team duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo.

Ducati’s Jack Miller

As for fan favorite Valentino Rossi, who turned 39 on Friday, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP pilot finished 14th 0.919 of a second off the pace.

The 24-rider grid returns to the #ThaiTest Sunday for the final day of testing at Chang International Circuit, which hosts round 15 of 2018 MotoGP in October.

2018 Thailand MotoGP Test Results, Day 2

Pos		Rider	Team	Fastest lap	Lead. Gap	Prev. Gap	Laps	Last lap
1		MARQUEZ, Marc	Repsol Honda Team	1:29.969			91 / 97
2		PEDROSA, Dani	Repsol Honda Team	1:30.127	0.158	0.158	39 / 71
3		MILLER, Jack	Alma Pramac Racing	1:30.185	0.216	0.058	64 / 69
4		VIÑALES, Maverick	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	1:30.274	0.305	0.089	84 / 90
5		ZARCO, Johann	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	1:30.360	0.391	0.086	53 / 60
6		PETRUCCI, Danilo	Alma Pramac Racing	1:30.367	0.398	0.007	31 / 75
7		RINS, Alex	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	1:30.446	0.477	0.079	55 / 56
8		CRUTCHLOW, Cal	LCR Honda CASTROL	1:30.490	0.521	0.044	75 / 85
9		DOVIZIOSO, Andrea	Ducati Team	1:30.494	0.525	0.004	26 / 78
10		LORENZO, Jorge	Ducati Team	1:30.729	0.760	0.235	22 / 57
11		IANNONE, Andrea	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	1:30.775	0.806	0.046	27 / 76
12		RABAT, Tito	Reale Avintia Racing	1:30.855	0.886	0.080	65 / 69
13		BAUTISTA, Alvaro	Ángel Nieto Team	1:30.883	0.914	0.028	83 / 89
14		ROSSI, Valentino	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	1:30.888	0.919	0.005	22 / 65
15		NAKAGAMI, Takaaki	LCR Honda IDEMITSU	1:30.901	0.932	0.013	78 / 83
16		SMITH, Bradley	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	1:31.113	1.144	0.212	38 / 79
17		ESPARGARO, Aleix	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	1:31.130	1.161	0.017	18 / 65
18		MORBIDELLI, Franco	EG 0,0 Marc VDS	1:31.185	1.216	0.055	47 / 68
19		KALLIO, Mika	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	1:31.598	1.629	0.413	95 / 99
20		REDDING, Scott	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	1:31.637	1.668	0.039	20 / 67
21		ABRAHAM, Karel	Ángel Nieto Team	1:31.661	1.692	0.024	68 / 72
22		LUTHI, Thomas	EG 0,0 Marc VDS	1:31.994	2.025	0.333	36 / 71
23		SYAHRIN, Hafizh	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	1:31.998	2.029	0.004	37 / 49
24		SIMEON, Xavier	Reale Avintia Racing	1:32.267	2.298	0.269	55 / 60

Let's block ads!(Why?)

: http://ift.tt/2Hq94ZS

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Bagikan Berita Ini