Aleix Espargaro left it late to claim top spot ahead of factory Aprilia teammate Maverick Vinales, although several big names including the last two MotoGP champions failed to secure a top ten spot.
Jorge Martin takes top spot for Ducati in Practice 2 at the American MotoGP, while championship leader Marco Bezzecchi will need to advance through Q1 after losing out on a top ten spot to Brad Binder.
Second fastest to round out MotoGP pre-season testing at Portimao, Johann Zarco was part of seven Ducati riders finishing inside the top eight positions, although two tenths remained between himself and world champion Francesco Bagnaia.
Johann Zarco says Ducati’s performance at the Sepang MotoGP Test ‘will not be fun for other riders’ going forward, after the Italian manufacturer looked more dominant than ever.
Following the opening day of the Sepang MotoGP test, Marc Marquez has admitted Honda still need to find more pace in order to compete with their rivals, although his physical condition was a big step forward compared to last season.
Johann Zarco has opened up for the first time about why ending his relationship with his manager, and working with a new team boss, can inspire him this year.
Johann Zarco is entering his seventh MotoGP season and is still seeking a maiden victory. His concern, and perhaps the concern within Ducati, is that he will never achieve it.
With Franco Morbidelli’s Yamaha MotoGP contract set to end after this season, as is the case for Toprak Razgatlioglu in WorldSBK, Keith Huewen believes we could find out in 2024 if the Turkish star has what it takes to succeed in Grand Prix racing.
While recent statements from Ducati personnel might have suggested a move to sign six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez was possible in the future, Paolo Ciabatti has seemingly squashed such thoughts.
When Johann Zarco saw his Pramac team members lining up for a ride on the Ducati two-seater, on the eve of last October’s Malaysian MotoGP weekend, he jumped into his leathers and joined the queue!