Video: Marc Marquez fastest again in Austin

Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez stayed in charge of the private MotoGP test session at the Circuit of Americas in Texas yesterday after the Spaniard narrowly edged out teammate Dani Pedrosa on the second day.

A best pace of 2.03.853 put Marquez 0.123s clear of compatriot Pedrosa on another day dominated by the all-Spanish Repsol Honda line-up.

Marquez’s best time was almost a second faster than his best pace on the opening day as track conditions improved at the spectacular Circuit of the Americas, which sits on the outskirts of Austin.

The surface was still slippery in parts but Marquez was once again the benchmark, with Honda’s factory RC213V holding a clear advantage over Yamaha duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi.

Marquez was almost 0.5s clear of reigning world champion Lorenzo, with several low gear acceleration points exaggerating the main weakness of the YZR-M1, which is engine performance on corner exit.

Lorenzo and Rossi both believe that the Honda also has superior edge grip, with nine-times world champion Rossi once again the slowest of the five full-time riders testing in Texas.

The Italian set a best time of 2.04.960 and Yamaha confirmed that it would not be participating on the final day today having gathered sufficient data and information ahead of the first race in Texas on April 21.

Rossi said: “Our competitors are able to accelerate faster than us from the hairpin and they have a bit more grip on the edge compared to us so these are the areas where we have to work, in the flowing parts we are not so bad.

“Step by step we improved a lot from yesterday but have some disadvantage compared to the other guys so we need to put all the sections together. The target was to come here and try to understand the track and try to be ready for the race.”

Lorenzo, who was fastest at the last test at the Sepang track in Malaysia last month, said: “We still don’t have enough grip on the rear so we can’t lean over with confidence which is why we are further behind than in Sepang.”