Sepang heat does not slow Quartararo in Sepang
Fabio Quartararo shows the competition how it is done |
A 1:58.576 in MotoGP FP2 saw Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) smash his FP1 lap record as the Frenchman sits 0.534 clear on Day 1 at the Shell Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. His nearest challenge remains teammate Franco Morbidelli with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) sitting P3, but the Italian is 0.630 off Quartararo’s blistering pace.
Friday saw the premier class get two valuable fully dry sessions under their belt ahead of a weekend forecast of wet weather, so, as is often the case, FP2 was vital in terms of a provisional automatic Q2 place. But could anyone get the better of FP1 pacesetter Quartararo? In the early stages of FP2, no one was penetrating the top 10 from FP1 as riders focused on getting some mileage on different Michelin tire specs. LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Johann Zarco was an early improver in the afternoon though, the Frenchman moved himself up to P12, while fellow Honda man Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) – after a bike issue in FP1 – placed himself at the top of the FP2 time screens.
Location Information
Specifically built for speed and exciting racing, the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia is one of the world’s best. The 2,300 acre complex cost around £50m to construct and was built in just 14 months, holding its first Grand Prix in April 1999 and setting the standard for race circuits… read more
Length | 5.543 kilometres / 3.444 miles |
Width | 25 metres |
Left corners | 5 |
Right corners | 10 |
Longest straight | 0.920 kilometres / 0.572 miles |
Constructed | 1998 |
Circuit Records
Pole Position | 1m 59.053s (167.6km/h) Dani Pedrosa (Honda, 2015) |
Race Lap | 2m 00.606s (165.4km/h) Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha, 2015) |
Race Time | 40m 32.372s (164.0 km/h) Marc Marquez (Honda, 2018) |
2018 Race Winner | Marc Marquez (Honda) |
Sepang International Circuit Klia Pahang Malaysia – View in Google Maps
Friday Practice Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
1 | Quartararo Fabio | 20 | FRA | Petronas Yamaha SRT | Yamaha | 1'58.576 |
2 | Morbidelli Franco | 21 | ITA | Petronas Yamaha SRT | Yamaha | 0.534 |
3 | Dovizioso Andrea | 4 | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 0.630 |
4 | Vinales Maverick | 12 | SPA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 0.642 |
5 | Rossi Valentino | 46 | ITA | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | Yamaha | 0.708 |
6 | Marquez Marc | 93 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 0.941 |
7 | Rins Alex | 42 | SPA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki | 0.970 |
8 | Miller Jack | 43 | AUS | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1.017 |
9 | Espargaro Aleix | 41 | SPA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 1.131 |
10 | Crutchlow Cal | 35 | GBR | LCR Honda | Honda | 1.135 |
11 | Bagnaia Francesco | 63 | ITA | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 1.198 |
12 | Mir Joan | 36 | SPA | Team Suzuki Ecstar | Suzuki | 1.408 |
13 | Petrucci Danilo | 9 | ITA | Ducati Team | Ducati | 1.481 |
14 | Zarco Johann | 5 | FRA | LCR Honda | Honda | 1.692 |
15 | Abraham Karel | 17 | CZE | Reale Avintia Racing | Ducati | 1.901 |
16 | Espargaro Pol | 44 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 2.082 |
17 | Lorenzo Jorge | 99 | SPA | Repsol Honda Team | Honda | 2.129 |
18 | Iannone Andrea | 29 | ITA | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | Aprilia | 2.596 |
19 | Syahrin Hafizh | 55 | MAL | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | KTM | 3.003 |
20 | Kallio Mika | 82 | FIN | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 3.383 |