MotoGP Portimao test: Bagnaia blitzes record on final day

Ducati’s reigning world champion Pecco Bagnaia dominated the final day of MotoGP preseason testing at Portimao on Sunday.

Despite already topping his own all-time circuit record after just 20 laps of action, Bagnaia bettered himself with a chart shattering 1’37.968 penultimate effort to end the day three tenths faster than closest challenger Johann Zarco. The Lenovo rider had already spent the afternoon showcasing equally eye-watering consistency during his Sprint race simulation, which, according to the rest of the paddock, well and truly placed him as the man to beat heading into round one.

Fabio Quartararo was the sole rider to upset Ducati’s dominance of the top eight as the Yamaha man placed his YZR-M1 into third position as the afternoon wound down. Brad Binder and Aleix Espargaro completing the top ten for KTM and Aprilia respectively, despite the South African suffering a late-session turn seven crash - his second of the day - while the Spaniard called time early due to arm pump.

Mooney VR46 proved its pairing was continuing to grow in stature as Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi sat fourth and fifth by the close of play aboard their GP22’s, factory rider Enea Bastianini heading Gresini new recruit Alex Marquez and Prima Pramac’s Jorge Martin from sixth to eighth.

Aprilia’s 2023 preparations concluded with RNF’s Miguel Oliveira splitting the two factory riders from 11th, Maverick Vinales less than a tenth of a second faster than Repsol Honda duo Joan Mir and Marc Marquez while LCR’s Alex Rins completed the top 15 with just 0.02s covering the Honda trio.

MotoGP Portimao test combined times

1 Pecco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo Team DUCATI 1’37.968 2 Johann Zarco Prima Pramac Racing DUCATI 1’38.264 3 Fabio Quartararo