Marquez fastest on day one in Sepang

Marc Marquez - fastest even with bum shoulder
Marc Marquez – fastest even with bum shoulder

Focusing on quality rather than quantity, Marc Marquez quickly got back up to speed at the Sepang Test as he set the fastest time of the day.

With a dry start to proceedings at the Sepang International Circuit, the Repsol Honda Team were eager to get underway and Marc Marquez soon entered the track. Over the winter, a number of new parts and modifications have been made to the RC213V to ensure it will once again be challenging for the MotoGP World Championship. The conditions gave Marquez a chance to understand both the 2019 Honda RC213V and the condition of his left shoulder.

3rd quick Vinales
3rd quick Vinales

Despite only riding until just before 14:00 Local Time, Marquez was able to set a 1’59.621 and move to the top of the time sheets. By ending early, Marquez was able to undergo further physiotherapy on his shoulder and rest ahead of day two at the Sepang Test. Marquez concluded the day as the fastest rider, 0.259s ahead of second placed Rins.

Marc Marquez 93
“I’m very happy to ride again after a long winter, but I was expecting to be better than I was. I still don’t have full power, for one or two laps it’s ok but I had to change my riding style to compensate. We stopped early to save myself for the rest of the test, there are still two days and we will see what the feeling is. Honda have been working really hard this winter and we tried a few things, but the list is really big. We’re trying the most important things first. The bike is already at a good point, but there's always more to try before Qatar."

Day 1 Test Times

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Marquez Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'59.621
2 Rins Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 0.259
3 Vinales Maverick 12 SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 0.316
4 Rabat Tito 53 SPA Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 0.362
5 Petrucci Danilo 9 ITA Ducati Team Ducati 0.430
6 Rossi Valentino 46 ITA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 0.433
7 Nakagami Takaaki 30 JPN LCR Honda Honda 0.537
8 Dovizioso Andrea 4 ITA Ducati Team Ducati 0.576
9 Bradl Stefan 6 GER HRC Test Team Honda 0.593
10 Espargaro Pol 44 SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 0.692
11 Miller Jack 43 AUS Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 0.762
12 Morbidelli Franco 21 ITA Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 0.839
13 Espargaro Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 0.981
14 Crutchlow Cal 35 GBR LCR Honda Honda 1.060
15 Bagnaia Francesco 63 ITA Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 1.073
16 Oliveira Miguel 88 POR Red Bull KTM Tech 3 KTM 1.281
17 TEST 1 Yamaha 31 JPN Yamaha Test Team Yamaha 1.344
18 Quartararo Fabio 20 FRA Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 1.364
19 Kallio Mika 36 FIN Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 1.433
20 Zarco Johann 5 FRA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 1.500