2018 MotoGP Winter Test Sepang: Jorge breaks record

With session three of 2018 MotoGP Winter Testing currently running, a Tweet from MotoGP says that Jorge Lorenzo, riding the #99 Ducati Desmosedici GP, has broken the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) motorcycle lap record with a time of 1:58.830, beating the previous time of 1:59.053 set by Dani Pedrosa. He is followed by Pedrosa riding the #26 Repsol Honda RC213-V with a time of 1:59.009.

Coming third in the current test session is Cal Crutchlow of CWM LCR Honda on the #35 RC213-V Honda, at 1:59.052, while current MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez on the #93 Repsol Honda is languishing in seventh place with a time of 1:59.382. Andrea Dovizioso of Ducati is in fourth at 1:59.169.

This year’s MotoGP test sees many of the teams testing fairings with aerodynamic winglets blending into the fairing, after the ban on exposed winglets last year. Winter Testing concludes at SIC on January 30, and moves on to Buriram, Thailand on February 16 for the second test, before finishing in Qatar on March 1 for the final test.

The MotoGP season proper begins with the Grand Prix of Qatar at the Losail International Circuit on March 18. The Malaysian round of the MotoGP, the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, will be held at SIC on November 4.