Sepang, Malaysia, Feb 6 (AFP\/APP):Italian speedster Enea Bastianini was fastest on day two of the MotoGP pre-season test Sunday, clocking a new lap record at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Outpacing 26 rivals, the Gresini Racing rider took the lead with a lap time of 1min 58.131sec, beating second-placed Aleix Espargaro by a mere 0.026 seconds.<\/p>\n
“(Did I) expect to be first today? No. But to be fast, yes,” Bastianini told reporters as the test wound up for the evening.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old previously finished 11th in the MotoGP championships in 2021 and took the Moto2 crown in 2020.<\/p>\n
Commending his bike and his team, Bastianini said they had been “working a lot” in preparation for the Malaysia test but were now focused on next week’s practice round in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Bastianini was among 17 riders who recorded their fastest ever laps on the 5.543-kilometre track, all managing times under 1min 59sec, up from five riders achieving the feat the day before.<\/p>\n
Coming in a close second to Bastianini was Aprilia’s Espargaro who set his own best time of 1min 58.157sec, followed by Pramac’s Jorge Martin on 1min 58.243sec.<\/p>\n
The event was Malaysia’s first MotoGP test since before the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the cancellation of three MotoGP events in 2020 and 2021 in the Southeast Asian country.<\/p>\n
The action now moves to Indonesia where a newly-built 4.3-kilometre street circuit on the holiday island of Lombok will host a three-day test from February 11.<\/p>\n
The MotoGP season officially starts in Qatar on March 6.
\nPre-season MotoGP test times on Sunday at the Sepang circuit (5.543 kilometres):<\/p>\n
1. Enea Bastianini (ITA\/Gresini) 1min 58.131sec
\n2. Aleix Espargaro (ESP\/Aprilia) 1min 58.157sec
\n3. Jorge Martin (ESP\/Pramac) 1min 58.243sec
\n4. Alex Rins (ESP\/Suzuki) 1min 58.261sec
\n5. Maverick Vinales (ESP\/Aprilia) 1min 58.261sec
\n6. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA\/Ducati) 1min 58.265sec
\n7. Fabio Quartararo (FRA\/Yamaha) 1min 58.313sec
\n8. Marc Marquez (ESP\/Honda) 1min 58.332sec
\n9. Johann Zarco (FRA\/Pramac) 1min 58.413sec
\n10. Pol Espargaro (ESP\/Honda) 1min 58.420sec<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sepang, Malaysia, Feb 6 (AFP\/APP):Italian speedster Enea Bastianini was fastest on day two of the MotoGP pre-season test Sunday, clocking a new lap record at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. Outpacing 26 rivals, the Gresini Racing rider took the lead with a lap time of […]<\/p>\n
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