Fat home: Quartararo remains untouchable on Day 3

Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) made it a stout home on the Sepang Test as he topped the timesheets over every other time on Sunday, with the Frenchman placing in a 1: 58.349 to raze the session shut to the quickest ever lap of the Malaysian venue. He had some shut firm himself, nonetheless, with LCR Honda Castrol’s Cal Crutchlow taking second living, 0.082 off, and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) taking third interior 0.101 of the conclude. All manufacturers ended the test interior 0.345.

The weather become on side every other time on Sunday, with simplest the final half hour or so tormented by rain – nonetheless about a accomplished quite early whether or no longer by build or mishap. For Quartararo it become a shorter day than Saturday, because the Petronas Yamaha SRT rider keep in 57 laps, environment his quickest on his 17th. Teammate Franco Morbidelli, on his “A-spec” machine, did 58 laps and ends the test in P13.

Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) become truly the second quickest Yamaha rider on Sunday. His simplest become a 1: 58.541 and that puts him in fifth after right over a half century of laps. Rossi’s teammate Maverick Viñales, meanwhile, become methodology down the timesheets but certain regarding the test; his simplest a 1: 59.169 in P18 – nonetheless after a whopping 83 laps and a few impressive prolonged poke tempo. On Saturday evening, the Spaniard become namely impressed by the conclude tempo development within the engine.

Test rider Jorge Lorenzo become out heading within the correct direction on Sunday too, with the Spaniard adding one other 46 laps to the Iwata marque’s program and proving a key level of pastime. But Yamaha had one other rather diverse talking level too – something that appears to be like very unparalleled like a holeshot application, spotted on Viñales’, Rossi’s and test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga’s machinery.

Honda’s test program workhorse Cal Crutchlow kept them searching out for the conclude on Day 3. The Brit’s simplest become a 1: 58.431 and, predictably, he become indubitably one of doubtlessly the most prolific heading within the correct direction, winding up 69 laps. Reigning Champion Marc Marquez did 47 laps and become P12, his day ending in a mishap at Flip 15 – rider okay. The Spaniard also reported in his debrief that he’s more focused on getting the technical side of the fresh season sorted, quite than disquieted about his shoulder recovery.

His rookie teammate Alex Marquez become 16th and did 49 laps, ending the test lower than half a tenth off coming into into the 1: 58s. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) did a simplest of a 1: 59.860 quite further help, winding up 48 laps.

Alex Rins become help responsible of the Suzuki teammate battle for supremacy on Sunday. The number 42 nearly made it three bikes in a tenth nonetheless for a single thousandth, and he did an right 42 laps, downing tools quite early. Teammate Joan Mir become P10 after 32 laps, his simplest a 1: 58.736 despite a crash at Flip 9. The positivity from the Hamamatsu factory appears to be like positively brimming after the test, and a few impressive prolonged poke tempo within the mid 59s made for factual reading too.

Ducati, meanwhile, observed their top living on the timesheets taken over by Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) because the Italian keep in a 1: 58.502 to stable P4 – simplest 0.052 off Rins. Ducati Team’s Danilo Petrucci become sixth with a 1: 58.606, and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) eighth… nonetheless right 0.010 behind the Italian. Bagnaia and Miller both crashed at Flip 15, riders okay.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) become quite further down in P14 with a simplest of 1: 58.859, with each GP20 rider placing in around 50 laps each on Sunday. But Dovizioso sounded dazzling overjoyed, engaged on setup and feeling on the fresh tyre within the morning – and declaring that both he and Miller living their simplest on the medium…

Johann Zarco (Reale Avintia Racing), meanwhile, continued his development on the GP19 and ends the test 15th on Day 3, getting the entire model down to a 1: 58.951 after 42 laps. Teammate Tito Rabat did a simplest of 1: 59.549.

Pol Espargaro (Crimson Bull KTM Manufacturing facility Racing) finishes the Sepang test in a equal living to where he started it, in seventh, nonetheless the number 44 become nearly a second sooner on Day 2. He simplest keep in 34 laps on Sunday, nonetheless become also on the shakedown with KTM. His teammate Brad Binder had a dazzling stable Sunday too as he remained shut to fellow rookie Alex Marquez on the timesheets; the South African shaving nearly a second and a half off his Day 1 simplest.

Crimson Bull KTM Tech 3’s Miguel Oliveira, meanwhile, impressed on Day 3, placing in a 1: 58.764 as he returns from anxiousness – and slotting into P11 right sooner than reigning World Champion Marc Marquez despite doing simplest 22 laps. Oliveira’s teammate Iker Lecuona keep in right 23 laps as properly, nonetheless the Austrian factory also fielded test rider Mika Kallio because the Finn took over from Day 2 hero Dani Pedrosa. Kallio suffered a crash at Flip 15, rider okay.

Aprilia also leave Sepang securely belonging within the conclude ten, having hit the bottom very unparalleled running with the fresh RS-GP. Aleix Espargaro led the methodology for the Noale factory over every other time as he took ninth with a 1: 58.694, placing in 45 laps – and announcing there become also more to achieve from a single lap, which become proving a effort to maximise. And that’s borne out within the awesome prolonged poke tempo the number 41 laid down, with a bunch of mid 59s. Test rider Bradley Smith become also on accountability over every other time, adding 61 laps.

The head ten:

1. Fabio Quartararo – (Petronas Yamaha SRT) – 1: 58.349

2. Cal Crutchlow – (LCR Honda Castrol) – +0.082

3. Alex Rins – (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – +0.101

4. Francesco Bagnaia – (Pramac Racing) – +0.153

5. Valentino Rossi – (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – +0.192

6. Danilo Petrucci – (Ducati Team) – +0.257

7. Pol Espargaro – (Crimson Bull KTM Manufacturing facility Racing) – +0.261

8. Jack Miller – (Pramac Racing) – +0.267

9. Aleix Espargaro – (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) – +0.345

10. Joan Mir – (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – +0.387

That’s it from Sepang, now it’s time to head for Qatar for the second – and final – pre-season test. That begins in about a weeks on the 22nd of February, with the grid now facing right three days of display screen time sooner than the season begins in earnest. Preserve as much as this level with all the pieces on motogp.com meanwhile!