MotoGP testing: Marquez on top

Despite still suffering the effects from surgery on his left shoulder during the off-season break, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) has topped the timesheets on day one of a MotoGP test at Sepang in Malaysia on February 6.

The reigning world champion set a best lap of 1:59.621, 0.259 seconds faster than Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) and 0.316 ahead of Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha) as the 2019 season revved back into life.

Marquez completed 29 laps before stopping in the early afternoon to give his left shoulder a rest ahead of the next two days. His teammate Jorge Lorenzo is sitting out the test due to injury, but there were three Hondas in the top 10 as Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) finished in seventh and Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) in ninth.

LCR Honda Castrol rider Cal Crutchlow, meanwhile, returned from his ankle injury sustained at Phillip Island in 2018 with a solid 51 laps, ending his first time back on a bike in P14 with a 2:00.681.

Alex Rins was one of the big headlines of the day, able to put in a substantial 61 laps aboard his 2019 GSX-RR and was fastest for some time until deposed by Marquez. He remained second after his earlier fast lap, however, and was the lead Hamamatsu machine by quite a stretch. Rookie teammate Joan Mir ended the day in 23rd, just behind veteran French test rider Sylvain Guintoli.

FULL RESULTS HERE

There were positive signs from Yamaha on the timesheets. On top of Viñales in third, teammate Valentino Rossi was sixth. The Iwata marque is focusing on final decisions for its 2019 engine, the electronics and some chassis elements – and says comparing its times to competitors’ is a key point of interest after an intense winter of work.

New team on the block Petronas Yamaha SRT, meanwhile, had Franco Morbidelli just outside the top 10 – only 0.8 seconds off the top – with rookie teammate Fabio Quartararo 18th.

Just behind Viñales, meanwhile, was the first of the Borgo Panigale machines – but it was Reale Avintia Racing’s Tito Rabat who took that honour. The Spaniard impressed on his first day back on a MotoGP machine at fuller strength, having missed much of the latter part of last season following his crash at Silverstone. Just behind him came the first of the Mission Winnow Ducati machines in the form of new arrival Danilo Petrucci, with the Italian just 0.003 seconds ahead of Rossi. 2017 and 2018 runner-up Andrea Dovizioso, meanwhile, ended in eighth.

Aussie Jack Miller wasn’t far off the second factory machine despite a small crash either, with the Aussie taking 11th . Rookie teammate Francesco Bagnaia – reigning Moto2 champion – made for close company too, impressing in 15th as the fastest debutant.

Completing the top 10 was an impressive day’s work for Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), despite a crash at the end.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was the fastest Noale machine in 13th and said the 2019 bike is a definite improvement, with the Spaniard putting in 55 laps to end the first day of the season just ahead of Crutchlow. New teammate Andrea Iannone was down in 21st and suffered a crash, ending the day 1.6 seconds off Marquez as he continues to get used to his new machinery.

The testing continues on February 7-8.