The final day of testing at the Sepang International Circuit saw a later start to proceedings as the field waited for the track to dry. A shower of rain in the closing hour of action reduced running by only a marginal amount.
A third day of riding produced 55 laps for Marc Marquez as he gathered yet more data for Honda HRC ahead of the Portimao Test. Continuing to experiment with a number of setups and technical pieces, the #93 helped to define a clear direction of work for the coming weeks. A fruitful test, Marquez ended the event as the tenth fastest rider thanks to a 1’58.666 set on the final day – 0.777s behind Luca Marini, quickest at the Sepang Test.
On the other side of the Repsol Honda Team garage, Joan Mir completed his fourth day on the Honda RC213V. A time of 1’59.832 from the first day improved to a best time of 1’58.784 on Sunday, over a second faster. Mir and his team are aware that there is still work to be done in the coming test and across the opening races, but the double-World Champion is content with the progress made in three days of running in Malaysia. Mir leaves Sepang as the 12th fastest rider.
The engineers now return back to Honda HRC’s base in Japan to continue development and progressing through the pre-season plan. The Repsol Honda Team will next be on track at the Portimao Test, March 11 – 12, for the final test before the season begins.
Marc Marquez“It was a more positive day today, it was the first day where I was able to start working in the smaller areas. This is when I was able to start getting faster, step by step. But we still had to continue on the schedule and keep trying new items and new things. I want to say thanks to the team for organising everything well and working well all weekend. Today was a big day for testing concepts as well. We did everything that we needed to and the feeling did improve, but we still need to make a step.”
Joan Mir
“I’m happy with how we have progressed at this test and I have felt strong every day on the bike. The bike feels more like my bike and I am able to ride in a better way than yesterday – this is what is important. My Repsol Honda Team has worked really well across all these three days. For sure we need to make progress, but every day we are making steps forward and getting closer and more comfortable. I am adapting more to the Honda style and I am enjoying riding like this, I’ve learned a lot across these three days.”