Marini takes to the top on Day 2 at Mandalika

Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Luca Marini stole the headlines on the second day of the Official MotoGP Mandalika Test after setting a 1:31.289, beating eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to the top by 0.192.

Maverick Viñales put his Aprilia Racing machine into P3 as a second covers 20 riders heading into the final day of pre-season on Sunday.

It was a busy start to the second day as we saw the first 1:31s come flying in, with the top five riders split by less than a tenth as midday approached. Rain loomed in Lombok but ultimately stayed away for the most part and we witnessed plenty of action in the final hour of the day.

Time attacks were on the menu and a lot of riders were able to improve their times, most notably Marini, who moved the goalposts to a 1:31.289.

Track conditions haven’t been perfect on Day 2, and off line the track is still dirty, but it’s been good enough for the teams and riders to be able to get some meaningful testing under their belts.

After a more muted start to life on a GP22 for Marini at Sepang, the Italian blasted out the blocks with a benchmark time attack on Day 2 in Indonesia.

A host of riders put in fast laps towards the end of the session, but the 1:31.289 from Marini put him nearly two tenths ahead of Marc Marquez – after earlier, five riders had been within less than a tenth at the top.

Marini’s lap is made even more impressive by the fact he first raced on a GP19 and is now starting his second season on a GP22.