2024 MotoGP Sepang Test: Ducati’s Enea Bastianini Sets New Lap Record on Second Day

Enea Bastianini of Ducati finished the second day of the MotoGP Sepang preseason test first, after a late comeback that allowed him to beat Jorge Martin on time sheet. Bastianini, who had a difficult and injury-plagued 2023 but still managed a commendable win at the Malaysian Grand Prix, seems to be more at one with the 2024-spec Ducati than with its predecessor. This became crystal clear when, in the last hour of the day's events, he rocketed to the top of the time charts. Notably, Bastianini was poised to break into the 1m56s region after two sectors but failed to do so in the final sector of his subsequent lap after recording a record-breaking 1m57.134s. Despite Wednesday's focus on aerodynamic improvements, Ducati kept showcasing the capabilities of their new 2024-spec Desmosedici. During the first hour of testing, Jorge Martin of Pramac Ducati set a new lap record, surpassing Pecco Bagnaia's previous record. 

2024 MotoGP Sepang Test: Day Two Result

After leading the first day at Sepang, Martin continued his dominance in the morning session by becoming the first rider to break the lap record with a time of 1m57.273s, fending off a challenge from Brad Binder of KTM. But in the last hour of racing, Bastianini stole the show with a lap of 1 minute and 57.134 seconds, beating Martin on the Pramac and almost missing out on a possible 1 minute and 56-second lap.

After finishing ahead of Aleix Espargaro of Aprilia and the current world champion Francesco Bagnaia, Binder took third place overall. In sixth place, Fabio Di Giannantonio showed great growth in his new position with the VR46 Ducati team, and Alex Marquez of Gresini came in seventh.

Pedro Acosta, a rookie sensation, maintained his spectacular debut in the premier class by finishing eighth, less than six-tenths of a second behind the leader. The 19-year-old continued racing without major incidents after a small crash at Turn 9 in the early practice.

Each of the top eleven riders—Marco Bezzecchi of VR46, Joan Mir of Honda, and Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha—completed laps in under one minute and fifty-seven seconds. Particularly noteworthy was Quartararo's top speed when equipped with the new M1 package. Johann Zarco of LCR Honda took 12th place, while Alex Rins of Yamaha was content with 13th. As he acclimatised to the Gresini Ducati, Marc Marquez had another quiet day, setting a fastest lap time of 1 minute and 58.118 seconds, nearly a full second slower than the leader. On the other hand, Marquez completed 72 laps on day two, which was the most laps of any rider.

Due to injury, Franco Morbidelli and Raul Fernandez were unable to participate in today's test session.