MotoGP Sepang Test: Marini masters Ducati charge on final day

Mooney VR46 led the Sepang MotoGP test for the second time in three days as Luca Marini set the outright pace in the concluding action.

A 1’57.889 best, set on his 47th of 54 laps of the 5.5km Sepang International Circuit, placed the Italian in charge of the overall standings - just as he had at Valencia back in November - with Ducati’s reigning champion Pecco Bagnaia just 0.08s back on the GP23. Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales rounded out the top three a further 0.067s adrift.

Enea Bastianini continued to impress on the second factory Lenovo machine as he circulated just over two tenths off last season’s championship winning machine with Saturday leader Jorge Martin completing the top five on the Prima Pramac Desmosedici.

Another night of rain meant the final day of testing got off to a slower than ideal start with action firing up as the afternoon began. Martin led the way once again with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro and Friday man Marco Bezzecchi the next in line and just a tenth behind. The number 41 remained in the mix against the Ducati stronghold as the final day came to a close, Espargaro sitting sixth, on 1’58.307 pace, after three days in Malaysia with rain returning in the final hour to end the session earlier than planned.

It was a full Italian party as the two Aprilias maintained the only non-Ducati challenge in the top nine as the chequered flag fell, Marc Marquez the highest-placed Honda in tenth, three-tenths slower than his younger brother on the Gresini, while new Repsol teammate Joan Mir completed the test two places back in 12th.

Both Red Bull KTM’s Jack Miller and LCR Honda’s Alex Rins suffered early spills, the Australian down at turn one as he struggled to get to grips with the RC16 and admitting he’d