Bastianini fastest on last day of Malaysia MotoGP test

06-Feb-2022, 21:33

06 Feb 2022, 21:33

The 24-year-old took the lead with a lap time of 1:58.131s.

SEPANG:

Italian speedster Enea Bastianini was fastest on day two of the MotoGP pre-season test today, clocking a new lap record at the Sepang circuit.

Outpacing 26 rivals, the Gresini Racing rider took the lead with a lap time of 1:58.131s, beating second-placed Aleix Espargaro by a mere 0.026s.

“(Did I) expect to be first today? No. But to be fast, yes,” Bastianini told reporters as the test wound up for the evening.

The 24-year-old previously finished 11th in the MotoGP championships in 2021 and took the Moto2 crown in 2020.

Commending his bike and his team, Bastianini said they had been “working a lot” in preparation for the Malaysia test but were now focused on next week’s practice round in Indonesia.

Bastianini was among 17 riders who recorded their fastest ever laps on the 5.543-km track, all managing times under 1:59s, up from five riders achieving the feat the day before.

Coming in a close second to Bastianini was Aprilia’s Espargaro who set his own best time of 1:58.157s, followed by Pramac’s Jorge Martin on 1:58.243s.

The event was Malaysia’s first MotoGP test since before the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the cancellation of three MotoGP events in 2020 and 2021 in the country.

The action now moves to Indonesia where a newly-built 4.3-km street circuit on the holiday island of Lombok will host a three-day test from Feb 11.

The MotoGP season officially starts in Qatar on March 6.

Pre-season MotoGP test times today at the Sepang circuit (5.543km):