Yamahas set pace on Day 2 of Sepang test

Maverick Viñales has edged Valentino Rossi at the top of the timesheets on Day 2 of the Sepang MotoGP pre-season test.

Rossi took until the last half-hour of the eight-hour session to better Dani Pedrosa’s Day 1 benchmark (1:59.427s), before being usurped by his Movistar Yamaha team-mate’s 1:59.355s in the final minutes.

Cal Crutchlow had been fastest prior to then and ended up third on the timesheets on his LCR Honda, one position ahead of Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team).

Again, Jack Miller was fifth-fastest as he continued to acquaint himself with his Pramac Ducati.

Last year’s championship combatants Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) were seventh- and eighth-fastest respectively, the former crashing late in the day.

Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) was 12th on the day but third-fastest if times from both days are combined.

Earlier rain once again made for a slow start to proceedings, but the real drama was a small fire from Andrea Iannone’s Suzuki, and also Pol Espargaro’s crash which saw the Red Bull KTM rider taken to hospital for precautionary checks.

Drama for Iannone and Suzuki as the Italian is forced to stop on track with the bike spitting out flames…. pic.twitter.com/uLWYyL06PN

— MotoGP™ ⏱ (@MotoGP) January 29, 2018

The other main talking point was the testing of aero fairings by the factory Honda riders Marquez and Pedrosa, satellite Honda rider Crutchlow, and the factory Yamaha riders Viñales and Rossi.

The test concludes tomorrow (Tuesday).

Pre-season testing: Sepang: Day 2