MotoGP: Mir and Honda Top Day 2 Sepang Test

A day of two halves Honda and VR46 will keep all their machines in the pits for Yamaha on Wednesday as the trio of opposing fortunes.

Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) led the timesheets on Day 2 at Sepang, setting a significant lap time and becoming the fastest ever Honda rider at the venue – taking the top lap from test rider Aleix Espargaro at last week’s shakedown. The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing team rounded out the top three with Franco Morbidelli in second ahead of teammate Fabio Di Giantonio. The action was cut short early due to rain, but the morning made for some exciting lap times…

But one of the biggest stories of the era was off the track – Yamaha. After an edition on day 1 for Fabio Quatararo – later His crash later forced him out of the remaining test – the new YZR-M1 was caught in the pits on Wednesday. As they say, caution from the Iwata marque They know the issue but they don’t know the cause and they are investigating Before you do any more running. So both Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP and Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP stayed in the box on Day 2.

Honda HCR Castrol and Honda LCR:

Mir takes the plaudits on day two at Sepang. It was the first time the factory dipped their toe into the coveted 1:56s, confirming the continued progress we saw at the end of last season. Both Mir and Honda HRC Castrol team-mate Luca Marini remain very positive about the 2026 RC213V’s performance, but – as expected and understandably – insist they’re not keeping their feet firmly on the ground and looking at the timesheets. Marini finished the sixth fastest day of the trip due to the weather in the afternoon, HRC headed to Thailand in good form after seeing another strong day at the office on Thursday.

In the LCR box, Yohan Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) was pleased with how Day 2 went, with the Frenchman looking to make a strong long run to see where the pack is on the final day. And of course Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) is back on track and says he made strong progress in the morning, also getting his Honda’s first taste of wet conditions. The Brazilian was upbeat about how he felt heading into the final day of testing at Sepang on the MotoGP bike.

Ducati Lenovo Team, Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, BK8 GRESINI RACING MOTOGP:

The Ducati charge, who continued to work quietly and methodically, was led by Morbidelli in second – the only rider apart from Mir to drop to 1’56. A 1’56.983 was good enough for the Italian, just 0.109s ahead of the Mir and Honda in P1. Giannantonio continued his strong test and was third overall, 0.066s further than #21.

In Factory Red, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was again in P8 as his test continued; Although he wanted to do a sprint simulation, the morning saw him do six runs but no more than four laps. Still, he was very positive about his feelings when it came to the end of the game. Team-mate and reigning world champion Marc Marquez dominated the opening day and eased into day two, and was 15th overall after 30 laps. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) was the last rider to crash at Turn 5 while testing the 2024 aero package. He was fine and got back out in the dry in the afternoon but didn’t better his morning time, finishing 12th overall.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM TECH3:

On the Red Bull KTM factory racing outfit, Pedro Acosta was in good form, setting a lap in the low 1’57s – faster than KTM’s previous fastest time at Sepang but not cracking the 1’56s. The Spaniard used an improved front performance in the wet and dry, gaining valuable information en route to fourth. Brad Binder was the lowest KTM in 13th, his toughest day combined with two messy practice starts. His exploits on the track, however, are also worth noting as he developed a working relationship with new chief of staff Phil Marrone.

In Red Bull KTM Tech3, Maverick Viñales took advantage of the rain to ride a few wet laps and try to gain valuable information and experience, while Innea Bastianini stayed in the box and completed the top ten. It’s a significant improvement for Tech 3 as both riders were struggling to not only adjust but also find direction at the same test last season. This year, they’re fifth and tenth in the Strictly Ten respectively in Day Two – let’s see what Day Three attacks bring.

Aprilia Racing and Trackhouse MOTOGP Team:

Marco Bezecchi continued his honeymoon with the RS-GP in P6, the fastest Aprilia, Raul Fernandez with the Trackhouse MotoGP team on his tail. Speaking of which, Aprilia’s tail section generated a lot of chatter on Day 2, with new aero wings attached to the rear and making their first appearance in the pitlane. Noale’s factory was also conducting swing tests.

Ai Ogura moved into P9 for the Trackhouse, splitting the Aprilia-run race with eighth-place Bagnaia. Challenger rider Lorenzo Savadori also returned, putting up the kilometers.

That’s all she wrote on Day 2, but there’s more to come in Sepang’s final push on Thursday. Join us from 10:00 (UTC +8) for more!

Assignment Day 2 Session 1

Assignment Day 2 Session 2

More from the Honda HRC Castrol press release:

Mir reigned supreme on the second day at Sepang.

Honda RC213V and Joan Mir set a new reference on lap one while Luca Marini kept up the pace as the weather curtailed the afternoon’s racing.

With a positive first day in their pocket, the Honda HRC Castrol team went back to work around the 5.54km long circuit. As Wednesday’s action again demonstrated in its early days, the 2026 Honda RC213V in Engineers continue to work on fine-tuning all the finer details on the route set for 2025.

Leading the charge was Joan Meir who blitzed the field early in the day and clocked a 1’56.874. 0.6 faster than the Q2 time from the Malaysian GP a few months ago. Although the timing is impressive, the Mir and Honda HRC will focus on the work ahead as the 2026 season still has a lot to come. Rain sees Mir doing just twice after the lunch break.

Another productive day as Luca Marini continued to focus on his morning test plan before afternoon rain prematurely ended his chances of pushing through one of the fastest laps. 0.676s back from his team-mate, the Italian was content with what he got given very limited track time. This evening will be spent finalizing the plan and finding a balance between the final items in Sepang and those that can be reviewed in Buriram.

The final day of testing remains, and Honda HRC Castrol are eager to make the most of it before heading to Buriram, Thailand for the second and first race of the year. Work to be done, but the first two days of the Honda HRC. (HRC) helped keep the momentum going for the new year.

Joan Mir: I think we should be happy with the lap time today! This morning I was feeling very strong and I was able to push for a good lap, my confidence is growing and this translates to what we saw today with the new tyre. Today we focused on the morning lap time before returning to the challenge puzzle. Tomorrow, we have to make up for the time we lose by taking another step, but we have to make up for the time we lose rain. We have a lot of work to do after the test.

Luca Marini: “We had a lot of mornings to make the most of each lap and hit our targets. Even without the second session, we did a lot. We split the workload a bit between me and the other Honda riders, which helped us to be more efficient. It’s been a good test so far and we’re not in a hurry to do a big job tomorrow, and we can focus on what we need.”

More from the Castrol Honda LCR press release:

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