Marquez: New engine even more aggressive

Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez continued to test with the 'compromise' RC213V at Sepang, which the reigning world champion says is even more aggressive than the 2014 machine.

Marquez posted the third fastest lap time despite a minor spill towards the end of the session on day two, lapping in 2m 00.146s as he finished 0.183s behind Movistar Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo (2m 59.963s) with Andrea Dovizioso third quickest on the Ducati GP14.3.

The Spanish star, who completed more laps than any other rider with 67 in total, rode a full liveried Repsol Honda machine and an unpainted model, although it seems both are of the same the spec and the new version brought to the test by HRC, which is a compromise between the 2014 machine and the 2015 bike he first tested at Valencia in Spain in November.

However, Marquez conceded that the engine character of the 2015 bike was different to the 2014 motor, revealing that it was 'a little more aggressive and still difficult to ride'.

"The character of this new engine is different; we have some work there because it is still a difficult bike to ride but it has a really good potential. Today we have already tested some things that will improve this character," he said.

"It is a little bit more aggressive, not much, we still need to work in the bottom area but we can improve."

"Today I focused on just one bike - the one I liked most from yesterday - and put in a lot of laps," he added. "In the morning we tested set-ups for the bike geometry and some different suspension settings. In the afternoon we worked a lot on the electronics, which is a slower process and requires more time and more laps.

"It's the same bike with different fairings and both are the new prototype. Tomorrow we will compare if this bike is better than 2014 or not, but with this bike I feel we have a good potential, we just need to find all the good things.

"I'm happy because we got a lot of information so tomorrow we will try to improve and use the best things that we found today."

Marquez highlighted improved front-end feedback as one of the key factors of the 2015 RC213V, which he says is a marked improvement on the 2014 machine.

"Especially the front, I feel it is more precise. Okay, the bike is moving the same because of my riding style but it is more precise on the fast corners and it gives me a good confidence - it is better than 2014," he said.

"The rear is still very similar to the 2014 bike and for that reason we work with the electronics and geometry. We will see tomorrow and try to put the best package [together] and we will see where we are.

"At the very end I was trying something with the front and I went out on the last lap and I lost the front on the slow corner, but it was not a big incident."

His team-mate, Dani Pedrosa, was fourth fastest, lapping in 2m 00.260s on the penultimate day of the test, which concludes on Friday, although the factory teams will remain at Sepang on Saturday for a tyre test with Michelin ahead of the manufacturer's introduction as MotoGP's new tyre supplier in 2016.