2024 MotoGP Sepang Test: Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin Leads the Opening Day

2023 MotoGP title runner-up Jorge Martin claimed the top spot on Day 1 of MotoGP’s official pre-season test at the Sepang International Circuit. On the GP24 Ducati, Martin set a remarkable time of 1 minute, 57.951 seconds. After eight hours of testing on a scorching Malaysian day, he beat Tech3 rookie Pedro Acosta by 0.269 seconds. Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo finished third and was 0.008s behind Acosta.  Fabio Di Giannantonio, a new addition to VR46 Ducati, finished fourth while driving the top-performing 2023-spec Desmosedici; three of his GP23 teammates also made it into the top ten. Taking seventh position was Alex Marquez of Gresini Ducati, eighth place went to Marco Bezzecchi of VR46 Ducati, and ninth place went to Marc Marquez of Gresini Ducati. Bezzecchi and Alex Marquez were involved in collisions, and Marc Marquez had a rough start to the day due to mechanical difficulties. It was a strong performance from Johann Zarco, who continued to lead the Honda riders and finished the first day of the Sepang test in 10th position.

2024 MotoGP Sepang Test: Day One Result

Bagnaia, the defending champion, had an early mishap with a tip-off on his out-lap and finished in sixteenth place, eleven places behind his factory colleague Enea Bastianini. Fernandez, who had barely finished 21 laps prior to the incident, has been taken to the hospital for required examinations. With his sixth-place finish, Maverick Vinales established himself as Aprilia's leading rider.

Augusto Fernandez of Tech3 Gas Gas and Jack Miller of KTM both fell significantly. Miller maintains that his performance is unaffected by his fractured scaphoid, which he incurred while preparing for motocross in the off-season. He is currently recovering from the injury. In preparation for the forthcoming Qatar Grand Prix, testing will wrap up at Sepang after two more days and then go on to Lusail for two days.

2024 MotoGP Sepang Test: Franco Morbidelli

The only racing rider not participating in today's Sepang test was Franco Morbidelli, who is still nursing a serious injury sustained in a private Ducati test at Portimao. Michele Pirro, a test rider for Ducati, filled in for Morbidelli at Pramac on Tuesday while he was away.

In addition to the unusual lineup, Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow, who was not on the 2024 rider roster, made significant contributions to the test by collecting data tirelessly. Among the MotoGP manufacturers, Yamaha is unique in not having a satellite team.