Marc Marquez endures first Ducati crash and a tech issue in Sepang test
Marc Marquez's fall on Tuesday at the Sepang test was only minor - but was his first on a Ducati
Marc Marquez crashed his Ducati for the first time on Tuesday at the MotoGP Sepang test.
But it was only a minor fall, and he was immediately able to pick up his GP23 and start lapping again.
Last year Marquez crashed a total of 29 times in his final year with Honda, a new unwanted personal high.
He will hope that the Ducati’s competitiveness reduces his tally drastically this season - but the first fall is already out of the way.
It happened mid-way through the first day of the Sepang test at Turn 15.
Marquez also had technical issues to face on Tuesday.
His first run lasted just four corners. He stopped at Turn 4 on his out lap with a problem.
He later stopped at Turn 1 but whispers from the Gresini garage suggested it was just a minor issue.
Ducati boss Gigi Dall’Igna was later spotted visiting the Gresini garage, perhaps keeping an eye on Marquez’s problem.
Elsewhere, MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia suffered a crash on the first morning of the test. He went down on Turn 11 but returned to his box and was able to ride again afterwards.
Raul Fernandez endured a “big highside”, according to his team, Trackhouse. He went to the medical centre but was given the all clear.
Augusto Fernandez and Alex Marquez also crashed.
Marc Marquez finished the day ninth-fastest, +0.670s off the pace-setter Jorge Martin.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
