Buriram, Thailand – The 2025 MotoGP pre-season testing kicked off at Chang International Circuit, where top riders took to the track for an intense session of fine-tuning their machines ahead of the upcoming season.
On February 12, 2025, Marc Marquez of Ducati Lenovo Team stamped his authority on the first day of the Buriram Test, setting the fastest lap despite falling short of the circuit record.
The six-time MotoGP world champion, Marc Marquez, delivered a stunning lap of 1 minute 29.184 seconds in the final five minutes of the session after completing 81 laps. However, the Spaniard was unable to break the 1:28.700 record set by his teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, last season. Bagnaia had a subdued session, finishing in 8th place.
Second place belonged to Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing), who was 0.465 seconds behind his elder brother, making it a strong outing for the Marquez family. Meanwhile, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing) put in an impressive effort to finish 3rd, trailing by 0.499 seconds.
The top five was completed by Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) in 4th place (0.610 seconds behind) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in 5th place (0.720 seconds behind).
Honda riders Luca Marini and Johann Zarco provided a glimmer of hope for the Japanese manufacturer, which has struggled in recent seasons. Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) clocked 1:29.928, securing 6th place, while Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) followed closely in 7th place, just 0.777 seconds off the top time.
Meanwhile, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) endured a challenging session, finishing in 13th place with a time of 1:30.233, over a second behind Marc Marquez.
Thailand’s own Somkiat Chantra made history as the first Thai rider to participate in a MotoGP pre-season test on home soil. The Idemitsu Honda LCR rider completed 59 laps and finished 20th, clocking a best time of 1:31.208, which was 2.024 seconds off the pace.
Among the rookie contenders, the fastest was Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Racing) with 1:30.373, followed by Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Racing) with 1:30.453.
Credit Photo : BRIC
