The second day of shakedown at Sepang saw Pol Espagraro set the pace, with more MotoGP riders joining the fray.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Test Rider Pol Espargaro has ended Day 2 of the Sepang Shakedown Test on top of the timesheets after the #44 set a 1:58.241, a lap time just under three tenths clear of Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and rookie star Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).
After remaining on the sidelines for the opening day of Shakedown action, Honda and Yamaha’s full-time riders entered the fray. Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) was the first rider on track, with teammate Joan Mir, Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR), Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) getting stuck into pre-season testing, as well as the previously mentioned Quartararo.
Acosta continues to impress
It was another eye-catching day for MotoGP’s sole 2024 rookie Acosta. The #31’s best time on Day 2 was a 1:58.531, and when you put that into context you realise how impressive that lap time is. Brad Binder’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) quickest time at the 2023 Malaysian GP was a 1:58.080 (Q2), Augusto Fernandez’s (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) was a 1:58.107 (Q1) and Jack Miller’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was a 1:58.232 (PR).
Adding to that, Augusto Fernandez’s best time in last year’s Sepang Test was a 1:59.660. It’s safe to say Acosta is enjoying himself and to be already less than half a second shy of Binder’s 2023 qualifying effort is seriously impressive.
The aero game continues
A new piece of front aero – more specifically a front fender wing – was spotted on Dani Pedrosa’s Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine on Day 2, while Aprilia Racing – with Lorenzo Savadori – continued to lap on the Noale factory’s new ‘Batmobile’ rear wing. Honda and Stefan Bradl have been busy testing an upgraded stegosaurus-type rear wing too, as you can see from the photos below.
In the hands of Michele Pirro, Ducati’s main aero update that we’ve seen so far – teased by Gigi Dall’Igna at the 2024 team launch – comes on the side fairing. The addition of a further ground effect panel can be seen next to Ducati’s usual downwash duct, so it will be interesting to hear the comments of the riders on what effect this has. You can just make it out in the picture below.
Getting up to speed
For the full-time riders, most of the day was spent getting themselves back in the groove on a MotoGP bike after the winter break. Quartararo and Rins had three bikes – two ’23 spec and one ’24 spec – each, with Mir spending a lot of his time on the bike he used at the Valencia Test. The same can be said for Marini, with the Italian largely focusing on ergonomics and adapting to the RC213V. A heavy rain shower meant dry running was cut short on Friday ahead of the final day of Shakedown testing on Saturday.
| 1 | POL ESPARGARO (RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING) | 1:58.241 |
| 2 | Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) | + 0.283 |
| 3 | Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) | + 0.290 |
| 4 | Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) | + 0.409 |
| 5 | Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) | + 0.431 |
| 6 | Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) | + 0.846 |
| 7 | Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) | + 0.850 |
| 8 | Luca Marini (Repsol Honda Team) | + 0.971 |
| 9 | Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) | + 1.028 |
| 10 | Stefan Bradl (HRC Test Team) | + 1.529 |
Here’s how Day 1 panned out
[Note: The story is as per press release]