Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez may still be recovering from winter surgery to his left shoulder, but that didn’t slow him down on the first day of official 2019 MotoGP testing at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.Honda’s Marc MarquezThe five-time MotoGP Champion posted a 1:59.621 at the 3.4-mile circuit. To put this time into perspective, the lap record at Sepang is a 1:59.063, which was posted by Marquez’s former teammate Dani Pedrosa.
As for Marquez’s current teammate, Jorge Lorenzo is sidelined as he recovers from wrist surgery.Marqeuz, who won 2018 Sepang MotoGP, also only rode 29 laps – about half of what the others did. He left early to undergo further physiotherapy on his left shoulder and rest before day two of three in Sepang Testing.Suzuki’s Alex RinsWhen Wednesday’s test session was over Marquez finished 0.259 of a second ahead of Team Suzuki Excstar’s Alex Rins, and 0.316 ahead of Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Vinales.“I’m very happy to ride again after a long winter, but I was expecting to be better than I was,” says Marc Marquez. “I still don’t have full power, for one or two laps it’s ok but I had to change my riding style to compensate.“We stopped early to save myself for the rest of the test, there are still two days and we will see what the feeling is. Honda have been working really hard this winter and we tried a few things, but the list is really big. We’re trying the most important things first. The bike is already at a good point, but there’s always more to try before Qatar.”Reale Avintia Racing’s Tito Rabat was the top Ducati finisher. He was 0.362 of a second off the pace, and finished ahead of Mission Winnow Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi.Ducati’s Andrea DoviziosoRounding out the top 10 were LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami; Mission Winnow Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso; Honda Test Team’s Stefan Bradl; Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro.The riders will return to Sepang Thursday for the second day of MotoGP testing.
KTM RC 390 and Gordon McCall of Quail Motorcycle Gathering
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the new KTM RC 390. The entry-level KTM has always been an impressive motorcycle that has sold extremely well, however the factory has now taken the bike to another level, with top-spec features that are typically found on flagship machines. Clearly KTM has realized that even smaller engined machines should have high spec suspension, brakes and electronics packages. Nic tells us how well the new RC 390 is equipped, and what he thought of riding the smaller displacement rocket.
In the second segment I chat with automotive and motorcycle industry icon, Gordon McCall. Gordon is the Director of Motorsports at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California.
This weekend of Saturday May 14th sees the annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering re-start after its Covid-forced hiatus, and having attended every one of the previous Motorcycle Gatherings, personally I’m very happy that the event is back on the schedule. Gordon chats about the event and a little of what’s happening this year. It’s a great event and if you feel like a trip to the gorgeous Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, you’ll get to meet Gordon, Roland Sands, and of course a large number of stunning motorcycles too.
From all of us at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!