Aprilia’s star rider Marco Bezzecchi beat the all-time track record at Buriram to top the final day of 2026 MotoGP pre-season testing.
With just 20 minutes remaining in the afternoon session, Bezzecchi set a blistering time of 1m28.668s on the factory RS-GP, dethroning world champion Marc Marquez from the top spot on the timesheets.
The Italian’s last-gasp effort was a fraction of a second quicker than the official record (1m28.700s), set by factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia en route to pole position at the 2024 Thailand Grand Prix.
Aprilia locked out the top two spots in the closing stages as Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez leapt to second with a 1m28.765s, demoting Marquez to third in the final classification.
Factory Ducati rider Marquez had controlled much of the day after setting a benchmark of 1m28.836s in the second hour. However, the 33-year-old suffered a late tumble at Turn 3 – his third crash of the weekend – and briefly visited the medical centre . It’s unclear if his visit to the medical centre was a direct consequence of the crash or a stomach problem that has been affecting him all weekend, but he was able to return to the track in the final hour.
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP via Getty Images
Marquez was closely followed by his team-mate Bagnaia, who capped off his strong run in pre-season testing in fourth place.
Sepang pacesetter Alex Marquez finished fifth on his Gresini-entered bike, the Spaniard also hitting the deck late in the session in what was an otherwise productive day at Buriram.
Pedro Acosta led the KTM contingent in sixth place, with VR46 duo Franco Morbidelli and Fabio di Giannantonio ending up seventh and ninth respectively, separated by the Aprilia of 2024 champion Jorge Martin.
The top 10 was rounded out by Joan Mir on the factory Honda.
Yamaha endured another frustrating day in Thailand, with Jack Miller on the best of the V4-powered M1s finishing 16th – over a second off the outright pace.
The field was propped up by Ducati test rider Michele Pirro, who substituted for an injured Fermin Aldeguer at Gresini.
Sunday’s running began 30 minutes earlier than scheduled to ensure sufficient natural light at the circuit later in the evening.
The opening round of the 2026 MotoGP season will take place at Buriram on 1 March.
MotoGP Buriram test: Day 2 results:
| Pos | # | Rider | Team | Morning | Afternoon | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72 | M. Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | 1’28.952 | 1’28.668 | — |
| 2 | 79 | A. Ogura | Trackhouse MotoGP Team | 1’29.218 | 1’28.765 | 0.097 |
| 3 | 93 | M. Marquez | Ducati Lenovo Team | 1’28.836 | 1’29.855 | 0.168 |
| 4 | 63 | F. Bagnaia | Ducati Lenovo Team | 1’28.883 | 1’30.529 | 0.215 |
| 5 | 73 | A. Marquez | BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP | 1’28.961 | 1’30.084 | 0.293 |
| 6 | 37 | P. Acosta | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1’29.021 | 1’30.321 | 0.353 |
| 7 | 21 | F. Morbidelli | VR46 Racing Team | 1’29.071 | 1’29.854 | 0.403 |
| 8 | 89 | J. Martin | Aprilia Racing | 1’29.167 | 1’29.314 | 0.499 |
| 9 | 49 | F. Di Giannantonio | VR46 Racing Team | 1’29.411 | 1’29.173 | 0.505 |
| 10 | 36 | J. Mir | Honda HRC Castrol | 1’29.453 | 1’29.296 | 0.628 |
| 11 | 25 | R. Fernandez | Trackhouse MotoGP Team | 1’29.302 | 1’29.424 | 0.634 |
| 12 | 33 | B. Binder | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1’30.255 | 1’29.392 | 0.724 |
| 13 | 10 | L. Marini | Honda HRC Castrol | 1’29.451 | 1’29.949 | 0.783 |
| 14 | 12 | M. Viñales | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 1’29.569 | 1’30.262 | 0.901 |
| 15 | 5 | J. Zarco | Castrol Honda LCR | 1’29.608 | 1’29.880 | 0.940 |
| 16 | 43 | J. Miller | Prima Pramac Yamaha | 1’30.928 | 1’29.672 | 1.004 |
| 17 | 20 | F. Quartararo | Monster Energy Yamaha | 1’30.206 | 1’29.701 | 1.033 |
| 18 | 23 | E. Bastianini | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | 1’30.012 | 1’29.728 | 1.060 |
| 19 | 11 | D. Moreira | Pro Honda LCR | 1’29.920 | 1’30.953 | 1.252 |
| 20 | 42 | A. Rins | Monster Energy Yamaha | 1’30.234 | 1’30.122 | 1.454 |
| 21 | 7 | T. Razgatlioglu | Prima Pramac Yamaha | 1’31.022 | 1’30.772 | 2.104 |
| 22 | 51 | M. Pirro | BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP | 1’31.859 | 1’31.777 | 3.109 |
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– The Autosport.com Team
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