Espargaro puts factory KTM in pole position on day two

2 Feb 2024 • 9:21 PM MYT
Scoop.my
Scoop.my

News You Can Use, Investigative Reports, Sports, Videos, and Analysis

image is not available

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.

image is not available
Fabio Quartararo gets low to navigate a bend at Sepang. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, February 2, 2024

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.

image is not available
Rookie phenomenon Pedro Acosta has finished an impressive third on the timing charts. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, February 2, 2024

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.

image is not available
Alex Rins’s debut on the Factory Yamaha’s YZR-M1 has seen him finish ninth at the Shakedown Test. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, February 2, 2024

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

View Original Article