Sepang MotoGP test: Dani Pedrosa fastest as testing resumes
Dani Pedrosa continued his imperious start to the 2013 season by topping a rain-hit opening to MotoGP's second winter test at Sepang
Pedrosa, who completed a clean sweep of the first test, edged out 2012 champion Jorge Lorenzo by just over two tenths of a second.
Both men set their best times in the early part of the day, before the onset of rain effectively washed out the afternoon.
Marc Marquez continued his own impressive build-up to what will be his rookie season, finishing third fastest and getting to within four tenths of Pedrosa's time.
He was just 0.017 seconds quicker than Stefan Bradl, the man who beat him to the 2011 Moto2 crown.
Bradl, riding as a Honda factory supported rider this year, was in turn only 0.069s than Valentino Rossi on the second Yamaha.
After a poor start to the year and calls for major changes, Ducati's works team fared better in the second test as Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden locked out eighth and ninth.
That put them behind Tech 3's Cal Crutchlow and Gresini's Alvaro Bautista, but within 1.5s of the outright pace.
Crutchlow's team-mate Bradley Smith suffered his first MotoGP crash when he the lost the front end of his bike at Turn 7. He was able to walk away unhurt and ended the day 10th fastest.
Behind Smith Ducati's Pramac satellite duo of Ben Spies and Andrea Iannone were outpaced by the fastest of the CRT riders, Aspar's Aleix Espargaro.
The test attracted a 27-bike field, with the 2013 entrants once again bolstered by Yamaha test duo Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Wataru Yoshikawa. Honda's counterpart Takumi Takahashi and Ducati's Michele Pirro were also present.
Paul Bird's Michael Laverty was unable to get out however as the team spent much of the day putting the finishing touches to the in-house chassis it will run for the Northern Irishman this year.
Pos Rider Bike Time Laps 1. Dani Pedrosa Honda 2m01.580s 43 2. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 2m01.815s + 0.235s 25 3. Marc Marquez Honda 2m01.942s + 0.362s 23 4. Stefan Bradl LCR Honda 2m01.959s + 0.379s 38 5. Valentino Rossi Yamaha 2m02.028s + 0.448s 25 6. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha 2m02.272s + 0.692s 28 7. Alvaro Bautista Gresini Honda 2m02.362s + 0.782s 32 8. Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 2m02.801s + 1.221s 22 9. Nicky Hayden Ducati 2m03.143s + 1.563s 46 10. Bradley Smith Tech 3 Yamaha 2m03.632s + 2.052s 24 11. Katsayuki Nakasuga Yamaha 2m03.734s + 2.154s 24 12. Aleix Espargaro Aspar Aprilia 2m03.941s + 2.361s 28 13. Ben Spies Pramac Ducati 2m04.047s + 2.467s 25 14. Andrea Iannone Pramac Ducati 2m04.050s + 2.470s 32 15. Wataru Yoshikawa Yamaha 2m04.590s + 3.010s 23 16. Michaele Pirro Ducati 2m04.626s + 3.046s 38 17. Hiroshi Aoyama Avintia FTR-Kawasaki 2m04.743s + 3.163s 30 18. Randy de Puniet Aspar Aprilia 2m05.288s + 3.708s 22 19. Takumi Takahashi Honda 2m05.510s + 3.930s 34 20. Colin Edwards Forward FTR-Kawasaki 2m05.518s + 3.938s 21 21. Danilo Petrucci Ioda Suter-BMW 2m05.827s + 4.247s 35 22. Karel Abraham Cardion Aprilia 2m05.838s + 4.258s 26 23. Yonny Hernandez Paul Bird Motorsport 2m05.908s + 4.328s 29 24. Hector Barbera Avintia FTR-Kawasaki 2m06.062s + 4.482s 30 25. Claudio Corti Forward FTR-Kawasaki 2m06.306s + 4.726s 26 26. Bryan Staring Gresini FTR-Honda 2m06.730s + 5.150s 34 27. Lukas Pesek Ioda Suter-BMW 2m07.991s + 6.411s 25 28. Michael Laverty PBM-Aprilia -
Previous article
Valentino Rossi 'born again' after Sepang MotoGP test
Next article
Sepang MotoGP test: Andrea Dovizioso reassured by Ducati gains
Marc Marquez is back
MotoGP Starting Grid: Portugal Grand Prix
MotoGP Starting Grid: Doha Grand Prix
Marc Márquez's first ride after his injury
Marc Marquez continues his recovery
Why Quartararo’s Catalunya suit penalty highlights a wider issue in MotoGP
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo racing with his leather suit open and subsequent penalty has been the main talking point of the Catalunya MotoGP weekend, which has highlighted a wider issue with MotoGP’s stewarding that risks a negative precedent going forward
How MotoGP’s “beast” tamers bounced back at Catalunya
The expectation on KTM to replicate its winning form from 2020 this season made its difficult start to the new MotoGP campaign even more disappointing. But a key update has seen KTM's fortunes reversed over the last week and returned it to the top step of the podium in Barcelona
The signs that point to Rossi's MotoGP retirement
It's not been a happy start to 2021 for Valentino Rossi at the Petronas SRT satellite squad, with performances that are a shadow of the rider that utterly dominated MotoGP at the start of the new millennium. At the age of 42, how much longer can he go on?
Why the most significant Le Mans MotoGP performance wasn't Miller's
Hot on the heels of his first MotoGP win in five years, Jack Miller made it two from two with a commanding French Grand Prix victory at Le Mans despite two long-lap penalties. Impressive though it was, it was an expectation-defying performance from an anticipated title rival that was the real standout
The impossible problem Honda faces with its 2021 MotoGP bike
Honda hasn’t enjoyed an easy start to the 2021 MotoGP campaign, despite gains last season which looked to have carried over into the pre-season. Now admitting it does have issues in serious need of resolving, it faces an almost impossible task in doing so
How Jerez underlined MotoGP's speed problem
The brutal nature of a series of crashes at Jerez has reopened the debate about whether current MotoGP speeds are beyond the safety limits of the tracks. But even if riders are supportive of the move, getting the manufacturers to find a consensus on how speed reductions should be achieved may be altogether harder
How a Crutchlow helped Miller to Jerez MotoGP redemption
Jack Miller’s tough start to life as a factory Ducati MotoGP rider left him mentally battered and bruised, but a pep talk and positive reinforcement from a surprising source aided the Australian to show his full potential with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix
What does Marc Marquez have to do to get back to his best?
Following his resounding MotoGP return with a seventh place finish in Portugal, Marc Marquez now must work to rediscover his best form before turning his attention towards results-based targets
