SEPANG – Day two of the MotoGP Shakedown Test witnessed KTM factory rider Pol Espargaro leading the timing charts after a lacklustre season with GasGas Tech3.
The Spaniard, now on test riding duties for the factory team, ousted the competition with a final session time of 1:58.241s.
Former world champion Fabio Quartararo made his debut in the Shakedown Test today and ended the sessions in second position, posting a time of 1:58.524s, just 0.283s behind Espargaro.
The man who took Espargaro’s seat at Tech3, last year’s Moto2 world champion Pedro Acosta, continued his meteoric rise in two-wheel racing by posting the third-fastest time in the final session.
The 19-year-old crossed the finish line with a time of 1:58.531s, just 0.290s slower than Espargaro’s time.
Today also saw Alex Rins make his debut astride the Factory Yamaha’s YZR-M1. He was ninth fastest in the final session.
Quartararo’s fellow Frenchman Johann Zarco also featured for the first time on his LCR Honda machine, posting the seventh-fastest time.
The Shakedown Test will resume for its third day tomorrow, followed by a two-day break before the official winter test kicks off on Tuesday next week. – February 2, 2024