The 2026 MotoGP track action is progressing on Friday with the second day of the three-day Sepang shakedown test. On the opening day, Honda\u2019s test rider Aleix Espargaro recorded the fastest lap time, edging out KTM test riders Pol Espargaro and Dani Pedrosa, while Yamaha newcomer Toprak Razgatlioglu also posted impressive times.<\/p>\n
Today, I\u2019m set to catch up with other Yamaha racers including Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins, and Jack Miller to get a better sense of Razgatlioglu\u2019s early pace and assess the new V4 engine\u2019s performance. Should Quartararo take to the track, it would mark his debut, especially after rumors surfaced about his contract with Honda for 2027. Meanwhile, LCR rookie Diogo Moreira aims to narrow the 2.8-second gap to Honda teammate Aleix Espargaro on this second day.<\/p>\n
Ducati and Aprilia continue their preparations for next week\u2019s official tests with their respective riders Michele Pirro and Lorenzo Savadori conducting development work. Testing runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with only partial live timing available during the shakedown.<\/p>\n
By lunchtime, Pol Espargaro remained fastest with a lap of just under 1 minute 58 seconds, followed closely by Aleix Espargaro, Dani Pedrosa, and Toprak Razgatlioglu. Jack Miller is showing solid form, running laps in the 1 minute 58 second bracket, just behind teammate Razgatlioglu.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, Valentino Rossi finally made his long-anticipated debut at the Mandalika circuit, delighting fans with his presence.<\/p>\n
As of early afternoon, Pol Espargaro maintains the top spot with a 1:57.933 lap time. Aleix Espargaro, Dani Pedrosa, and Razgatlioglu round out the leading group. Aprilia\u2019s Lorenzo Savadori has pulled ahead of Yamaha riders Jack Miller and Fabio Quartararo, while rookie Diogo Moreira entered the sub-1:59 lap time zone.<\/p>\n
There are also intriguing images circulating of KTM\u2019s Mika Kallio testing the new \u201c850cc spec\u201d motorcycle during the Sepang shakedown.<\/p>\n
Pol Espargaro edged out his younger brother Aleix to be the first to crack the 1:57 mark, while World Superbike champion Toprak Razgatlioglu improved to within one second of the lead by breaking 1:58 minutes. Monster Yamaha\u2019s Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins are preparing to make their MotoGP 2026 season debuts alongside Jack Miller.<\/p>\n
Below are the midday lap times from the Sepang shakedown on day two: <\/p>\n
Official Sepang records remain held by Francesco Bagnaia with the best lap at 1:56.337 in 2024, and the fastest race lap by Alex Marquez at 1:58.873 in 2023.<\/p>\n
On day two\u2019s early sessions, Aleix Espargaro improved his personal best and was half a second quicker than Pol Espargaro. Toprak Razgatlioglu significantly cut his time, already half a second faster than on day one, while Jack Miller set his first laps of the year.<\/p>\n
The standings from 11 a.m. were: <\/p>\n
Reflecting on day one lap times, Aleix Espargaro led with 1:58.091, followed by Pol Espargaro (1:58.615), Dani Pedrosa (1:59.143), and Toprak Razgatlioglu (1:59.647).<\/p>\n
Additional context on lap records at Sepang shows Ducati and Yamaha dominating both fastest laps in the race and qualifying sessions during the 2024\u20132025 seasons, highlighting the ongoing battle between manufacturers.<\/p>\n
Fan Take:<\/strong> The 2026 MotoGP track action is progressing on Friday with the second day of the three-day Sepang shakedown test. On the opening day, Honda\u2019s test rider Aleix Espargaro recorded the fastest lap time, edging out KTM test riders Pol Espargaro and Dani Pedrosa, while Yamaha newcomer Toprak Razgatlioglu also posted impressive times. Today, I\u2019m set […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[168,18,1261,21,117,483,8506,8362,238,973],"class_list":{"0":"post-40047","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-racing","8":"tag-day","9":"tag-formula-racing","10":"tag-highlights","11":"tag-motogp","12":"tag-racing","13":"tag-results","14":"tag-sepang","15":"tag-shakedown","16":"tag-test","17":"tag-unveiled"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThis shakedown test offers a captivating preview of the rivalries and technological advancements that will shape the 2026 MotoGP season. For racing enthusiasts, it\u2019s thrilling to witness emerging talents and evolving machines setting the stage for intense competition ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"