Petrucci burns up Sepang track
ITALIAN’S TIME SMASHES THE PREVIOUS MARK
Danilo Petrucci topped the timesheets in Malaysia yesterday, emerging as the fastest-ever MotoGP rider at the Sepang circuit and enabling Italian manufacturer Ducati to dominate the final day of testing.
Petrucci – who has replaced Jorge Lorenzo in the Ducati team – topped the timesheets to set a stunning 1min 58.239sec earlier.
That obliterates the unofficial all-time lap record of 1min 58.830sec set by three-time world champion Lorenzo during 2018 pre-season testing.
But Petrucci quickly downplayed his sizzling performance, saying the unusual dry track conditions contributed.
“I did a very good lap time but the conditions were good,” he told reporters.
Petrucci also said it was going to be tough to secure a podium finish in the 2019 season.
Petrucci’s closest challenger was Italian rookie Francesco Bagnaia also on a Ducati who was 0.063 seconds slower.
Bagnaia’s team-mate Jack Miller of Australia rode his Ducati to finish third with 1min 58.366sec.
Another Ducati rider Italian Andrea Dovizioso was fourth, 0.299sec behind Petrucci, making it an all Ducati top four.
MotoGP riders from Honda, Ducati, Yamaha, KTM, Aprilia and Suzuki are at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.
Lorenzo is the only 2019 race rider absent, due to a recent wrist injury, and will ride for Honda this season alongside compatriot Marc Marquez.
Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales, who was quickest on Thursday, slipped to fifth at 1min 58.644sec.
LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow, making his return on a MotoGP bike after a major ankle injury halted his 2018 campaign, finished sixth.
Valentino Rossi, in his 24th year of motorcycle grand prix racing, was 10th while world champion Marc Marquez, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, was 11th. – AFP