Marquez Mauls Them in Thailand Test
S
hould we be excited or
scared? That was the main
question hanging in the air as
MotoGP preseason testing came
to an end with a two-day outing
in Thailand. Excitement came
in the form of Ducati's satellite
contingent, strong for a third test
in succession, as well as real
positives for Aprilia and Honda.
Yet anyone paying attention
to Marc Marquez's speed over
the two days at a searingly hot
Chang International Circuit may
feel slightly pessimistic regard
-
ing the possibility of a close
fight over the 22 races ahead.
The eight-time champ was fast-
est on both days and ended the
test 0.179 of a second clear of
brother, Alex. Incidentally, day
one was the first time he had
topped an official testing day
since July 2020.
What was really alarming was
just how quick Marquez was
over a race simulation. His aver
-
age time over 24 laps (1 minute
and 30.378 seconds) in wickedly
high temperatures on Friday
afternoon was a full six-tenths of
a second faster per lap than the
next long-distance run posted
by Pedro Acosta (1:31.016). The
indication from Ducati was that
the 31-year-old wasn't even ap
-
proaching full effort over the run.
That's not to say all is done
and dusted for the first Grand
Prix. Alex Marquez's own longer
run was disturbed by issues with
front-tire pressure and electron-
ics. And Pecco Bagnaia never
put together more than five laps,
as his first day was disturbed by
a litany of mechanical issues,
which delayed his testing plan
on the final day. By the end, he,
too, was content after posting
the fifth fastest time.
"I was very strong with used
tires," Bagnaia said, his day-one
glum dispelled.
The big takeaway regard
-
WIND
IN THE
P44
Marc Marquez was
in a class of his own
in Thailand.
PHOTOS:
GOLD & GOOSE
