Misano Test: Marc Marquez returns, Bagnaia fastest

The
goal
was
to
do
40
laps
and
ride
during
the
morning
session
only,
and
it
was
mission
accomplished
for
the
eight-time
world
champion
across
all
classes.

There
was
plenty
of
positivity
from
Marquez
and,
as
he
did
feel
up
to
it,
plenty
for
him
to
test.

“Tests
are
never
easy,
even
if
you
do
a
normal
pre-season,
when
you
arrive
in
Malaysia
you
feel
tired
and
feel
the
speed
of
the
MotoGP.
Here
was
no
different,
it
was
even
more
difficult.
The
first
run
was
impressive
to
feel
the
torque
of
the
MotoGP
bike,
but
then
step
by
step
I
started
to
get
faster
and
especially
more
comfortable,”
Marquez
told
Repsol
Honda
Team
media.

Meanwhile,
topping
the
timesheets
on
Day
of
the
official
Misano
test
is
San
Marino
GP
winner
Francesco
Bagnaia
(Ducati
Lenovo
Team)
with
a
1:31.292.

The
two-day
test
in
general
–
is
more
than
just
looking
at
the
timesheets,
because
Marquez
made
his
long-awaited
return
to
action
and
Yamaha
rolled
out
a
2023
engine.

Undoubtedly,
the
biggest
news
of
the
day
was
the
return
of
Marquez.
After
completing
39
laps
ahead
of
the
lunch
break,
the
six-time
MotoGP
world
champion
and
his
team
decided
to
sit
out
the
rest
of
the
afternoon
in
order
to
be
ready
for
Day
2
–
a
great
sign
that
his
comeback
was
a
success.

The
other
great
sign
is
that
it
didn’t
take
long
for
the
number
93
to
start
testing
new
parts
for
HRC,
as
the
Japanese
giants
continue
to
focus
on
getting
their
2023
package
right.

Furthermore,
Takaaki
Nakagami
(LCR
Honda
Idemitsu)
was
running
a
brand-new,
never
seen
air
intake
on
one
of
his
bikes.
It’s
a
little
wider
and
not
quite
as
tall
as
the
standard
air
intake,
and
differs
from
the
one
Marquez
was
using
too.
As
expected,
there
was
plenty
going
on
in
the
HRC
ranks.

As
we
heard
ahead
of
the
test,
the
Iwata
factory
have
a
new
engine
to
try
in
Misano.
Fabio
Quartararo
(Monster
Energy
Yamaha
MotoGP)
–
who
completed
80
laps
–
used
it
and
confirmed
that
it’s
a
positive
step,
which
is
good
news
for
the
Iwata
factory.
The
title
chase
leader
was
sixth
quickest
on
the
opening
day,
just
under
three
tenths
away
from
main
rival
Bagnaia.

A
new
chassis
was
also
being
put
through
its
paces,
while
one
of
Franco
Morbidelli’s
(Monster
Energy
Yamaha
MotoGP)
YZR-M1s
was
spotted
with
a
new
air
intake.
It’s
possible
that
could
be
part
of
the
2023
engine
package.
Moreover,
new
wings
were
being
tested,
which
seemed
to
be
larger
than
those
they
have
on
the
2022
bike
at
the
moment.

As
strange
as
it
sounds,
there
wasn’t
too
much
to
shout
about
in
terms
of
updated
parts
in
the
Bologna
stables.
Visibly,
anyway.
Bagnaia
did
hint
over
the
weekend
that
he
didn’t
think
he
would
be
testing
too
many
new
things,
but
that
doesn’t
mean
they
weren’t
testing
anything
–
far
from
it.

One
thing
that
was
noticed
however
was
the
sidepod
wing
extending
down
slightly
further
than
the
standard
one
Ducati
have
been
using
for
some
time.

Six
Ducatis
finished
inside
the
top
10
with
Luca
Marini
(Mooney
VR46
Racing
Team)
second
fastest,
0.181s
off
VR46
Academy
colleague
Bagnaia,
while
Jorge
Martin
(Prima
Pramac
Racing)
–
who
crashed
unhurt
at
Turn
15
–
was
the
third
quickest
Desmosedici
rider
in
P4.