MotoGP, the Mandalika tests, the results of the second day: Luca Marini tops with Ducati VR46

The second day of MotoGP tests in Mandalika (Indonesia) also closed. The conditions are just better than on the first day, with the dry and “clean” strip of track since yesterday and the possibility for the riders to increase the times and try to be more aggressive to find new responses from the behavior of the 2022 bikes. The fastest it was Luca Marini with the Ducati of the VR46, who set the best time in 1’31 ”289 on the Indonesian circuit which in 2022 made his debut in the World Championship after being a stage of the SBK.

surprises and no to mandalika

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The best time of Valentino Rossi’s brother is a great confidence boost for the rookie Doctor’s team in 2022 in MotoGP: track conditions were also decisive, which improved considerably in the afternoon allowing the riders to seek the time attack. Suffice it to say that about 45 ‘from the end of the second day Brad Binder, a South African from KTM, was in the lead, while in the last 25’ first Quartararo then Marini, then especially Marc Marquez – second at the end of the day – they increased their pace.

mandalika day

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Dry track, nothing to do with the “swamp” of the first day on the Indonesian coast. The teams took the opportunity to do many technical tests, he told who could put their heads in the pits of the various teams. Ducati did not use the long exhaust seen at Sepang. There were also small falls and slips, without consequences, for Di Giannantonio and Mir at Turn 11, for Dovizioso (he finished 19th) at 9 and for Martin at 16. One hour from the end, with Binder the most Fast up to that point, there were 5 riders in one tenth, 11 in half a second and even 16 – out of the 24 total of the MotoGP World Championship – in one second. Then, as mentioned, the increases in performance that have shelled the gaps. If the tests are realistic, we will see it from the first GP in Qatar on March 6, the 2022 World Championship also promises long and balanced battles.

the times of the motogp

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Marini did 59 laps, at 57th he set his best time of 1’31 ”289. But among the big names, among those who can fight for the World Championship, the top of the day was Marc Marquez, who did 74 laps and on the penultimate set the fastest time of him, less than two tenths of a second behind the Ducati VR46. Third, further confirmation of the progress seen in these tests, Maverick Viñales with the Aprilia RS-GP, who completed 68 laps as title holder Fabio Quartararo, fourth. Mir (Suzuki) and Zarco (Ducati Pramac) did well, while Bastianini – who lapped less than the others by completing 48 laps and an hour from the end had the fourth fastest time – slipped into seventh position. Tenth the first official Ducati, that of Pecco Bagnaia: he and Miller (20th one second behind Marini) respectively did 83 and 84 laps in Mandalika, top of km in the second day on a par with Miguel Oliveira’s KTM (18th) . Fourteenth was the other Aprilia driven by Aleix Espargaro, who worked a lot in the morning but less than expected in the afternoon due to a crash that made him waste time in the early part of the afternoon.

detachments

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Although the times have dropped over the course of the day, a great balance remains as mentioned in these tests. In the end, 10 drivers were counted in half a second (between Marini and Bagnaia there are 436 thousandths), and 20 in about a second (between Marini and Miller 1 ”029). Among the rookies: Diggia (Ducati Gresini) 17th at 7 tenths from the first, Fernandez (Ktm Tech3) 21st at 1 ”1, Bezzecchi (Ducati VR46) 22nd at 1” 2, the Moto2 champion Remy Gardner (Ktm Tech3) 23rd at 1 ”3 and Darryn Binder (Yamaha WithU) last at 1” 7.