Pedro Acosta quickest, despite falls, as Sepang Shakedown ends
MotoGP rookie tops the timesheets on day 3 of the Sepang 🏅S𓄧hakedown Test.
Saturday at the Sepang MotoGP Shakedown ꦑtest was a day of ‘firsts’ for star rookie Pedro Acosta.
After impressing over the previous two days, the reigning Moto2 champion made🍌 his first appearance at the head of the MotoGP timesheet🍷s - where he remained by the time a thunderstorm brought an early end to the dry action at 16:30.
Along the way the Spanish tཧeenager also suffered what is thought to have been his first premier-class fall, at Turn 11, at 13:30. Officially declared “OK”, Acosta ret🎉urned on his GASGAS Tech3 bike shortly before the thunderstorm.
Accota's test then ended with his first-ever wet MotoGP laps on the RC16... and another fa🦋ll, this time at Turn 15, in the final minutes. Once again, timing screens reported th🎐e rider was "OK".
Acosta’s ea🐻rlier 1m 58.189s, the best of the🐈 week, edged out new KTM test rider and day two leader Pol Espargaro by just 0.066s.
Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) completed the top three, a fraction ahead of country𒈔man Fabio Quartararo (Monst♚er Yamaha). Dani Pedrosa (KTM) was just 0.289s from Acosta in fourth, followed by Repsol Honda’s Joan Mir.
New factory Yamaha rider Alex Rins and new HRC signing Luca Marini (+0.746s) were seventh and eighth with Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow seen testing new bodywork, includ𝔉ing the rear box-shape wing, on his way to ninth place - as the final rider in the 1m 58s.
Crutchlow’s former LCR team-mate Takaaki Nakagami was 0.883s from Acosta, with Michele Pirro (Ducati), Lorenzo ꦅSavadori (who rode six different Aprilias) and Stefan Bradl (Honda) completing the 13-rider line-up.
Savadori and Cruওtchlow joined Acosta in completing some wet laps in the final hour when Savadori suffered hi🌳s second technical issue of the day.
There will now be a two-day break in the track action, duri♒ng which Monster Yamaha will hold it🔯s team launch, before the official Sepang test - due to feature the full 2024 rider line-up - is held from February 6-8.
Peter has been in th🐲e paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
