2024 MotoGP Sepang Test
Day Three
It didn’t take long on Thursday morning for the Sepang outright motorcycle lap record to be repeatedly smashed by Ducati’s armada of MotoGP riders.
The first to sneak into the 56s for the first time was Pecco Bagnaia. The defending World Champion had been running through his testing program over the opening two days. Way down in 16th on day one, the Italian improved to P5 on Wednesday before showing what he is really capable of on Thursday morning with a 1m56.682s scorcher on his eighth lap of the day.
Next in the 56 club was Jorge Martin, a 1m56.854. Next was Alex Marquez with a 1m56.938 before he was bettered by Enea Bastianini, who joined the club with a 1m56.915.
Marc Marquez was also starting to get wound up this morning and finally slipped in some softer rubber, a 1m57.270 on his 13th lap of the day.
Aleix Espargaro was the fastest of the non Ducati runners at the middle of the day, a 1m57.091 to the Aprilia man. He also put in a fast longer distance run of nine-laps.
Brad Binder was top KTM in seventh with a 1m57.327 while the leading Honda was Joan Mir, the Spaniard rounding out the top ten at the halfway point of the day with a 157.374, just behind Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Every full-time MotoGP rider had put in at least one lap under the race lap record by halfway through Thursday, while Bagnaia’s morning time was 2.3-seconds quicker than the race lap record of 1m58.979 set by Alex Marquez last year.
There was no movement in the top half of the time-sheets during the remainder of the day as the track temperature increased.
Francesco Bagnaia
“I feel really comfortable on the bike. The time I set in my first time attack of the season was fantastic, but this is a test, and the conditions today were perfect. The only thing I’m not completely satisfied with was the sprint race simulation this morning: I had a small problem that slowed me down, but by then, I had started, and I didn’t want to come back into the garage, so I continued to the end. In any case, we showed that we know the potential of this bike. We have improved a lot in just three days. We’re not 100% there yet, but we’re not far off. I would say we are at 80%. In Qatar, we will try different maps, but the program will be more or less the same as in Sepang.”
Jorge Martin
“Today we reconfirmed and we tried again both of them (GP23 and GP24), and I felt a bit faster with the new one so I’m happy. Yesterday maybe it was a bit more difficult. I think you have to get used to it also because it’s a bit different and you have to change a little bit your riding style but I think it’s a bit more stable and it’s helping me to go faster so we will ride with this one.”
Enea Bastianini
“I’m satisfied with these three days of testing; the balance is positive, and we got off on the right foot from day one. Today, we were also able to be fast in the time attack and set a time of 1:56, something I never thought I would be able to do before coming here. Compared to last year, I improved on the time attack, which was important. This morning, we did a sprint race simulation: the pace was good even though I felt some vibration in the rear. We have had positive feedback from these three days, but now it will be important to try everything again in Qatar to understand how the bike behaves in different conditions and to have more data to compare. In general, the package is already at a good level.”
Alex Marquez
“Day after day we managed to understand the 2023 version of the Desmosedici some more and I must say that, compared to how we raced here last year, we did make a lot of changes. The bike is different in terms of weight distribution, and we had to adapt to it – with good results I must say. There was enough time to find the rhythm and make some race and sprint race simulations. The times are good, but that is not a super important thing to look at during testing; it would be a mistake to make comparisons with last year already, also because the conditions we encountered this time were much more favourable.”
Marc Marquez
“I really did a lot of laps these three days, even during day one when we had some issues – which we tackled and solved brilliantly. The goal was to understand the bike the best possible way and we’re improving step by step. We’re suffering a bit more time-attack wise, an area where normally it’s more about working with instincts, but even in this department we improved a little during day three. From the second day onwards, we started to have fun on the bike, even though I still don’t feel it as my own. I need to shake 11 years of habits on another motorcycle and that’ll take time, but the progression is good and we must be happy with this first test on a track that has never really been mine.”
Fabio Di Giannantonio
“I return to Italy with a smile, if I had to give a grade to this test, I would say 9 out of 10. The feeling was good, even the time attack wasn’t bad. It was really fun this morning, but the thing that energises me the most is the result and the sensations during this afternoon’s simulation, when it was really hot. We were fast, all the signs are positive. The GP23 is much more powerful, also in terms of traction and has a different confidence on the front. I’m tired, physically I need to recover a bit, but I can’t wait to get back on track in Qatar.”
Interestingly though, out of the nine-lap runs completed by many riders today, simulating a Sprint Race distance at Sepang, rookie Pedro Acosta was one of the quickest. Outright quickest over nine laps though was Fabio Di Giannantonio…
While six of the seven full-time Ducati MotoGP riders at Sepang were all in the top eight, Marco Bezzecchi has had some struggles in Malaysia and is not yet gelling with the GP23. A third crash in three days wasn’t ideal as he was just unable to improve on his lap from Wednesday and, as a result, finished 15th on the combined standings.
Marco Bezzecchi
“We close this first testing session with a complicated day. We had a small problem with the bike and we opted not to attempt the time attack. I preferred to work further on the riding style, I’m struggling a bit. The bike is very fast, but I’m not comfortable yet, I have to adapt myself and this still takes some time. When braking and accelerating, the sensations are different compared to the GP22. I haven’t yet managed to take the package to the limit, which is the reason that pushed us to continue step by step and wait for the flying lap and the simulation.”
There were headlines made off-track on Thursday morning with a new signing for the Trackhouse Racing squad – and it’s a familiar face as Davide Brivio returns to the paddock to take the reigns at the American team.
Still, it was another day of two halves for Aprilia. On one side, Aleix Espargaro hailed it “the best test” he’s ever had with the Noale factory, and you can understand why. The #41 claimed the final spot inside the top five after punching in a 1m57.091.
Aleix Espargaro
“I am satisfied with this first test. If we look at the improvement from last year, I don’t think anyone has grown as much as we have. I love the character of the new RS-GP, it allows me to be even faster in cornering and that goes along with my riding style. It is also more stable, albeit a bit more challenging, but there is still a lot of work to be done. We’ve seen very fast riders and bikes, with incredible fast lap performance as well as great pace: we’re at a good level but it’s still not enough.”
Maverick Vinales
“It was an intense three days, but I would like three more! The new RS-GP definitely has potential, in Aprilia they worked a lot during the winter. At the end of last year I had reached a very high level, especially in corner entry, a feeling that I lack for now. It’s just a matter of trying new settings, a different balance, to exploit the strengths of the new design as we did in ’23. We still have testing in Qatar to get us ready for the first race, right now I would say we are halfway through the process.”
Meanwhile on the other side, after complaining of a lack of rear grip yesterday, not many in-roads were made today. Maverick Viñales closed out the three days in 12th, whilst Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) was 18th.
Miguel Oliveira
“Physically it’s a little bit difficult to manage the whole three days, but I actually feel good. The best training is on the bike, so that’s good. We tried a couple of things this morning and we totally lost the good temperature window to do a lap time. Then, we carried on with used tires and just tried to get a little bit more feeling with a stable setting because we have been changing so much throughout every exit. We found out that, at the moment, it was just important to get used to the bike and not experiment with too many things. Finally, at the end of the day, I got a new rear tyre again but I couldn’t improve. The ideal lap time is a bit more satisfying, but we know how unimportant the time sheet is in a test, so we are not really in panic at the moment. We’re just getting through a couple of things to go to Qatar ready to work for the first race.”
Wilzo Zeelenberg – Trackhouse Team Manager
“Our first test is done. Obviously, not everything was positive with the crash of Raul and his injury. And of course, talking about injuries, Miguel just came back from one during the winter where he tried to recover. We definitely need more track time and that we will get in Qatar. At the moment, we are not where we want to be with the bike and the performance, so let’s see how we can use the data we have now got and prepare ourselves in the best way possible for Qatar. Clearly, Miguel recovered well from his injuries, he never complained through the test. Saying that, of course, he did not ride for a long period and jumping from a 2022 RS-GP straight onto a 2024 bike gives him some more adjustment work to do. I hope we are able to show our full potential in Qatar.”
Although Brad Binder finished ahead of Pedro Acosta on the combined standings, Acosta closed the gap down to just 0.058 seconds to within the quickest marker set by a KTM/GASGAS rider.
Brad Binder
“Probably one of the best pre-season tests I’ve ever had. We have still not put everything together to see the full potential but we tried so many different things and once we have the time to select all the best parts then we’ll be in a position to make a step. I’m quite happy. The last day was about combinations, and I had a little go at a time attack. We are better than the time sheets look and once we back-check everything then I’m sure we’ll be stronger. We made progress with our electronics and the engine braking feels better, traction control also. In general we made decent headway and the guys at the factory can understand a lot more.”
Pedro Acosta
“Many days riding and many things to try. Aero, power, electronics. I’m enjoying myself because everything is starting to feel a lot more normal on the bike. We are improving every day and if you see the lap-times from the first shakedown until the last day then we were faster by three seconds. 0.5 per day is not so bad! We are on the way. The team is pushing like crazy to help me with these steps. Everyone has gone faster than last year at this test, so we don’t have to think too much about the lap-times…but the consistency was good.”
Aussie Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) rounds out the three days 1.1 seconds adrift of top spot in 14th, whilst there’s work to do for Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) who finished 21st and over two seconds behind.
Jack Miller
“A good test. A lot of different items and things on the block. The boys have done a fantastic job during the winter and the bike is working really well. I have a couple of areas I would like to improve personally with set-up but the main goal of the test was to understand the items, understand the combinations and try and build the RC16 for what will be our race bike for the 2024 season. We’re pretty close. We didn’t have the full package ready for the time attack this morning and I’m not ecstatic with the lap-times but it was the first time in the 1min 57s for me. We still need to pull our finger out. I’m looking forward to getting home, reflecting on these days and then going again in Qatar.”
Augusto Fernandez
“Three hard days and not quite the start we were expecting. I didn’t feel that the speed is there yet but we worked better on the final day compared to the previous two and started to understand the new bike a little bit. I recovered some good feelings with used tyres. First test done. We’ll rest this week and then look towards Qatar where we had a good race last year and can think about the days we have left to work for 2024.”
Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager
“Busy days, starting from the shakedown right up until the final laps here it has been intense. Happy with the work but not yet with the speed. We have some more ideas to improve, and we were getting better each day. Everyone could see our aerodynamic work, but we also did a lot with electronics, the engine and also the frame. We did a 360 job with the bike and it takes time to get up to speed between the setting changes. We are satisfied and we know the speed will come.”
Sebastian Risse – Red Bull KTM Technical Manager MotoGP
“We had one big testing program here with the test team working some things out and then the race team riders coming in to confirm those findings, make the compromises and their choices for the season. There was a lot about aerodynamics and the engine because these need to be homologated and to be honest it would be easier to ask me what we didn’t touch on the bike! We worked on almost every area: electronics, chassis stiffness, technical solutions and conceptual work. Everything was focused on what we can race this season and we are really happy with the progress we made, and for some things we were already able to understand the full potential and in some others we see the potential but need to find the right compromise in set-up. So now we are looking forward to the Qatar test and to then get ready for the first race.”
Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 Team Manager
“The list of items to test here was massive and one goal was to bring our rookie, Pedro, up to MotoGP level and I feel that was ‘mission complete’ thanks to more than 1500km these days where he made some huge improvements and included an impressive race simulation. We did a good job on the technical side and discovered a very mature talent. It’s been a beneficial two weeks. Augusto went through the workload, and I think he will leave Sepang with a little smile on his face having found some directions to come back to his real level in Qatar. I would deeply like to thank the team. The Sepang test is hard, and they worked long into the nights. We have made a good job.”
Sebastian Risse – GASGAS Technical Manager
“We finished a very important pre-season test here with GASGAS in Sepang and it was especially long for Pedro! Augusto jumped into the game for the official three-days while Pedro had the six. It was an incredible journey with Pedro to see him grow and to understand things. Of course, he was able to take his time but it looks like he didn’t need much of it! He was up to pace and we’re impressed with his progress, the way he worked with the crew and the fact that he was able to get into some technical aspects already. Augusto struggled to get back to the rhythm and push the bike to the limit but we know he is fast and we know how to put it together for him for the next test.”
Joan Mir completed a positive set of tests in Malaysia, riding for a total of five days as he enters his second year as a Repsol Honda Team rider. Both tests allowed Mir to understand and adapt to not only the new 2024 Honda RC213V, but also the new team around him. Ending the first day with a best time of 1’58.741 and improving to a 1’57.374 on the final day is evidence of the continual progress Mir and the Repsol Honda Team have made. Mir suffered a small fall without consequence at the final corner before midday, returning to the box without incident. He ends the three days in tenth on the combined times. But despite Mir’s 1.1 second improvement over one lap, he wanted to stress the need for further work over a longer distance.
Joan Mir
“I think Honda should be proud of what they have done here during the test because we have made good progress. Today was my best ever lap around Sepang, so it was a clear step and ending as the top Honda is a positive point. There’s still some work to do to close the distance further, but there is time to keep working. I had a small crash at the last corner when I was going for another run which maybe stopped us from improving the time more. But this can happen. Now we get ready to show our new colours in Madrid and then prepare for Qatar.”
Completing a total of 122 laps over the three official days of running in Malaysia, Luca Marini was able to make good use of the time available. Ending with a fastest time of 1’58.026 saw the Italian in 19th overall and pleased with what he and the team had managed to improve. Spending the day working on refining the setup to best suit his style, Marini continued to gain speed and further build his confidence. Aware there is still work to do to unlock more of the bike’s potential, the #10 is already preparing for the Qatar Test.
Luca Marini
“There are many positive things about this period of testing, especially these last three days with all the other riders to understand our potential. Joan made a very good lap in the time attack, he knows the bike well and I need to keep working to understand it as well as him but it’s positive to see the potential. There’s margin here to improve and with the setting, which was our focus today. The direction we are going is correct, we just need more time on the bike to keep on going and improving. We’ll be busy now to prepare for the Qatar Test and the race but I am looking forward to getting back on track. I am very excited to wear the official colours for the first time at the team launch!”
Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda LCR) fired in a 1:57.765 to end 13th, ahead of Johann Zarco and Luca Marini in 17th and 19th, but Marini was also confident of more to come in the Qatar Test.
Takaaki Nakagami
“I like the 2024 evolutions brought by HRC to the test. We’ve compared the data with the other Honda riders to set a base, and I’ve felt quite good. We still need to work in some areas, but we’ve already found some positives.”
Johann Zarco
“I like the way Honda has set the 2024 plans. The four riders are comparing and sharing data, and this is important to improve the bike and be ready to fight for the best positions. We’ve had some positives during the test and need to keep working in other areas, but overall, I’m satisfied with the job done”.
There are clear signs of progress at Yamaha too, but one search remains: that of one-lap pace. It’s something already mentioned on Wednesday and the mission continued, and will continue in Qatar.
Fabio Quartararo picked up work on Day 3 where he left off, getting in as many laps as possible to make sure a clear direction is set for the next test and the further development of the 2024 YZR-M1. He completed 56 laps and at the end he approved the new engine, aerodynamics, and launch device and noted the positive race pace. His best time on Day 3, a 1’57.525s set on lap 12, saw him finish the test in 11th position in both today‘s and the overall test results, 0.843s from first.
Fabio Quartararo
“We still need to improve our one-lap pace, so hopefully we can make a step forward. That’s basically the next step for the next test and the first few GPs. The 2024 engine is better, the aerodynamics are better too, but we are missing electronic grip. But I think that step by step we will come closer to the top. My goal is to be on the first two rows in qualifying, three maximum, because I know that on the pace I’m pretty fast.”
Alex Rins used the final day of riding in Sepang to fully form his verdict on the various testing items brought here by Yamaha. Like his teammate, his full focus was on getting the bike MotoGP-season ready and gathering as much data as possible. His fastest lap was a 1‘57.879s, set on lap 13/52, that had him finish the Sepang Test in 15th place in the Day 3 rankings and in 16th position in the combined results, 1.197s from the top.
Alex Rins
“I’m quite happy because we are doing a good testing job so far. It’s true that we’re still working on the set-up in terms of bettering the configuration of the bike. I was struggling a little bit to stop the bike, and the rear tyre lifted a bit. We’re losing a bit of time in that area. During these last five days of testing, we focused on trying to test items, and we didn’t pay as much attention to the set-up. But anyway, I’m quite happy with the work done. We collected a good amount of data, so let’s see if we can continue like this and keep improving.”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“We gathered a lot of good information. The areas that we worked on the most were the engine and aerodynamics, and we also introduced a new rear starting device. All these items have been approved and confirmed by all riders: Cal, Fabio, and Álex. This is a good sign: the work done during the winter break has been done correctly. We still have a lot of work to do, but we are satisfied with the work we got done here. It’s true that there’s still a gap that we have to close, but we still have time during the preseason to work on making this gap smaller and smaller. In terms of race pace, we suspect we have made an improvement as we could also see that the bike is a bit faster. The aerodynamics are helping the rider with the turning, and the starting device is giving the riders less wheelie-ing and more acceleration. Now, if I have to point out an area of improvement, for sure it’s qualifying, so that’s the next target.”
The paddock now packs up and heads towards Qatar’s Lusail International Circuit for two more days of testing across February 19-20, ahead of the March 10 season opener at the same venue.
Sepang MotoGP Test
Combined Day 1-2-3 Times
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | F.Bagnaia | DUCATI | 1m56.682 |
| 2 | J.Martin | DUCATI | +0.172 |
| 3 | E.Bastianini | DUCATI | +0.233 |
| 4 | A.Marquez | DUCATI | +0.256 |
| 5 | A.Espargaro | APRILIA | +0.409 |
| 6 | M.Marquez | DUCATI | +0.588 |
| 7 | B.Binder | KTM | +0.625 |
| 8 | F.Di Giannanto | DUCATI | +0.661 |
| 9 | P.Acosta | KTM | +0.683 |
| 10 | J.Mir | HONDA | +0.692 |
| 11 | F.Quartararo | YAMAHA | +0.843 |
| 12 | M.Viñales | APRILIA | +0.846 |
| 13 | T.Nakagami | HONDA | +1.083 |
| 14 | J.Miller | KTM | +1.169 |
| 15 | M.Bezzecchi | DUCATI | +1.185 |
| 16 | A.Rins | YAMAHA | +1.197 |
| 17 | J.Zarco | HONDA | +1.260 |
| 18 | M.Oliveira | APRILIA | +1.318 |
| 19 | L.Marini | HONDA | +1.326 |
| 20 | C.Crutchlow | YAMAHA | +1.991 |
| 21 | A.Fernandez | KTM | +2.058 |
| 22 | L.Savadori | APRILIA | +2.132 |
| 23 | M.Pirro | DUCATI | +2.183 |
Sepang MotoGP Test
Day Three Times
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Francesco BAGNAIA | DUCATI | 1m56.682 |
| 2 | Jorge MARTIN | DUCATI | +0.172 |
| 3 | Enea BASTIANINI | DUCATI | +0.233 |
| 4 | Alex MARQUEZ | DUCATI | +0.256 |
| 5 | Aleix ESPARGARO | APRILIA | +0.409 |
| 6 | Marc MARQUEZ | DUCATI | +0.588 |
| 7 | Brad BINDER | KTM | +0.625 |
| 8 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | DUCATI | +0.661 |
| 9 | Pedro ACOSTA | KTM | +0.683 |
| 10 | Joan MIR | HONDA | +0.692 |
| 11 | Fabio QUARTARARO | YAMAHA | +0.843 |
| 12 | Maverick VIÑALES | APRILIA | +0.846 |
| 13 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | HONDA | +1.083 |
| 14 | Jack MILLER | KTM | +1.169 |
| 15 | Alex RINS | YAMAHA | +1.197 |
| 16 | Johann ZARCO | HONDA | +1.260 |
| 17 | Marco BEZZECCHI | DUCATI | +1.313 |
| 18 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | APRILIA | +1.318 |
| 19 | Luca MARINI | HONDA | +1.326 |
| 20 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | YAMAHA | +1.991 |
| 21 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | KTM | +2.058 |
| 22 | Lorenzo SAVADORI | APRILIA | +2.132 |
| 23 | Michele PIRRO | DUCATI | +2.183 |
MotoGP Sepang Day Three Top Speeds
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Speed |
| 1 | Brad BINDER | KTM | 338.5 |
| 2 | Francesco BAGNAIA | DUCATI | 337.5 |
| 3 | Marco BEZZECCHI | DUCATI | 337.5 |
| 4 | Marc MARQUEZ | DUCATI | 337.5 |
| 5 | Johann ZARCO | HONDA | 336.4 |
| 6 | Pedro ACOSTA | KTM | 336.4 |
| 7 | Lorenzo SAVADORI | APRILIA | 336.4 |
| 8 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | DUCATI | 336.4 |
| 9 | Luca MARINI | HONDA | 335.4 |
| 10 | Fabio QUARTARARO | YAMAHA | 335.4 |
| 11 | Enea BASTIANINI | DUCATI | 335.4 |
| 12 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | HONDA | 335.4 |
| 13 | Aleix ESPARGARO | APRILIA | 335.4 |
| 14 | Jack MILLER | KTM | 335.4 |
| 15 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | APRILIA | 335.4 |
| 16 | Jorge MARTIN | DUCATI | 335.4 |
| 17 | Maverick VIÑALES | APRILIA | 334.3 |
| 18 | Joan MIR | HONDA | 334.3 |
| 19 | Alex MARQUEZ | DUCATI | 334.3 |
| 20 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | YAMAHA | 333.3 |
| 21 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | KTM | 333.3 |
| 22 | Alex RINS | YAMAHA | 333.3 |
| 23 | Michele PIRRO | DUCATI | 330.2 |
Provisional 2024 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar (Updated)
| Rnd | Date | Location |
| 1 | 10 March | Qatar Lusail International Circuit |
| 2 | 24 March | Portugal Autódromo Internacional do Algarve |
| 4 | 14 April | Americas Circuit of The Americas |
| 5 | 28 April | Spain Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto |
| 6 | 12 May | France Le Mans |
| 7 | 26 May | Catalunya Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya |
| 8 | 02 June | Italy Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello |
| 9 | 16 June | Kazakhstan Sokol International Racetrack |
| 10 | 30 June | Netherlands TT Circuit Assen |
| 11 | 07 July | Germany Sachsenring |
| 12 | 04 August | Great Britain Silverstone Circuit |
| 13 | 18 August | Austria Red Bull Ring-Spielberg |
| 14 | 01 September | Aragon MotorLand Aragón |
| 15 | 08 September | San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini Misano |
| 16 | 22 September | India Buddh International Circuit |
| 17 | 29 September | Indonesia Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit |
| 18 | 06 October | Japan Mobility Resort Motegi |
| 19 | 20 October | Australia Phillip Island |
| 20 | 27 October | Thailand Chang International Circuit |
| 21 | 03 November | Malaysia Sepang International Circuit |
| 22 | 17 November | Comunitat Valenciana Circuit Ricardo Tormo |
Reserve Event: Hungary – Balaton Park Circuit.
Portugal & India remain subject to contract.
Kazakhstan is subject to contract and homologation.
