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Misano Test: Marc Marquez returns, Bagnaia fastest

The number 93 steals the headlines on Day 1 of the official Misano test.

Marc Marquez

Bengaluru, September 7: Resol Honda Team rider Marc Marquez made his long-awaited return to the track at the Misano Test.

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.

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 did not 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.

Plenty of positives

Plenty of positives

"Today our target was do these 40 laps, try to understand first of all how was my condition, which wasn't that bad, and that's why I tried the aero items, and tomorrow we'll try to do more laps," Marquez told Repsol Honda media.

"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," added the Spaniard.

Nakagami impresses

Nakagami impresses

Furthermore, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) was running a brand-new, never seen air intake on one of his bikes. It is a little wider and not quite as tall as the standard air intake, and differs from the one Marquez was using.

One more takeaway for Honda was test rider Stefan Bradl testing a Kalex-built aluminium swingarm. It is a huge change for Honda as they have used their own in-house carbon swingarm for several years.

Bologna bullets

Bologna bullets

As strange as it sounds, there was not too much to shout about in terms of updated parts in the Bologna stables. Visibly, anyway. Bagnaia did hint over the weekend that he did not think he would be testing too many new things, but that does not mean they were not testing anything - far from it.

Six Ducatis finished inside the top 10 with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) second fastest, 0.181sec 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.

Positives for Yamaha

Positives for Yamaha

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 is 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.

Aprilia rocks

Aprilia rocks

At Aprilia, both Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and team-mate Maverick Vinales took turns topping the times in the afternoon. Eventually, the Spaniards occupied P3 and P5 respectively at the end of day.

We can expect it to be another busy day on track on day two of the official Misano test. Buck up guys!

Story first published: Wednesday, September 7, 2022, 17:38 [IST]
Other articles published on Sep 7, 2022