Marquez dominates final day of Sepang testing

Marc Marquez has once again dominated the final full day of Sepang testing, completing 73 laps and finishing 0.3 clear of closest rival Jorge Lorenzo. His fastest lap, some 0.3 slower than his unofficial lap record at the last test, came as track temperatures went through the roof and grip on the Malaysian circuit faded.

However, the first man of the morning to dip under the two minute mark was Cal Crutchlow. The Brit, finally gelling with his new CWM LCR Honda, finished the day in third, only 0.2 off Lorenzo. However, he also suffered issues later in the day. He was forced to abandon a race simulation half way through after suffering from the same brake issues that dogged Marc Marquez on the opening day.

Crutchlow’s replacement at the factory Ducati, Andrea Iannone, also had a good day, finishing fourth after a fast lap early in the morning. In fact, most of the day’s fastest times came early in the day, with Valentino Rossi and Bradley Smith ahead Dani Pedrosa, the only man to set his fastest time alter in the day.

The test concludes tomorrow, but the final day of track action will see only selected factory riders take to the track on the new 2016 Michelin development tyres.