The second day of the 2026 MotoGP pre-season test at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia was very interesting, but also a bit unusual because of the weather and technical problems.

The riders started early in the morning when the track was dry and warm. From the first laps, the times began to improve quickly as riders tested their bikes and tried different setups. Less than an hour after the track opened, Joan Mir, riding for Honda HRC Castrol, set the fastest time of the day. He completed a lap in 1 minute 56.874 seconds, which was much faster than what most riders managed last year during qualifying at the same circuit. Breaking into the 1:56s was a big moment and showed real speed and progress for Honda.

After Mir’s fast lap, several riders began to push their bikes hard. Franco Morbidelli, riding for VR46 Ducati, got very close to Mir, finishing his best lap just 0.109 seconds slower. His teammate, Fabio Di Giannantonio, was third, only a little further behind. This meant that two riders were very close to Mir’s time, showing that other teams were also quick in the morning.

Just behind the top three, Pedro Acosta on the KTM Factory Racing bike was fourth fastest. Acosta had a steady morning and showed good pace. Maverick Viñales, riding for Red Bull KTM Tech3, was fifth fastest, and Marco Bezzecchi on the Aprilia was sixth, keeping the times close among the top riders.

Other riders also posted strong times before lunch. Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura from the Trackhouse Team were seventh and ninth, with Francesco Bagnaia in eighth place. Enea Bastianini, riding the second Tech3 KTM, was tenth fastest. Luca Marini and Alex Marquez were not far behind, showing decent speed during their programmes. Brad Binder and Johann Zarco were in the mid-field. Marc Marquez, on the Ducati, was further down the list, still working back to full fitness.

While the morning was busy with activity and fast laps, the afternoon was very different. Around 4 pm local time, a sudden rain shower hit the Sepang track. The rain was strong enough to make the track too wet for riders to use their slick racing tyres. A few riders tried to go out after the rain, but most teams decided it was too dangerous and returned to the pits. Because of this, the morning times remained as the final results for the day.

The weather made the second half of the day very quiet. A few riders, such as Diogo Moreira and Maverick Viñales, completed one or two wet laps later in the afternoon, but no one was able to improve their time on slick tyres after the rain. The track stayed mostly empty until the end of the session.

Another big story of Day Two was Yamaha’s absence from the track. After Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo crashed on Day One and broke a finger, his bike also had an engine problem that caused it to stop on the circuit. This engine issue was unrelated to the crash and involved the new V4 engine that Yamaha has been developing. Because the engineers could not identify the cause quickly, Yamaha kept all their bikes in the garage for the entire day while they investigated the problem. No Yamaha riders completed any laps on Day Two. The team said they would decide on Thursday morning whether they could return for the final day of testing.

The result of the second day showed a mix of good progress and challenges. Honda and the VR46 team looked strong, especially in the dry morning conditions, and other teams like KTM and Aprilia also found good speed. Many riders completed useful work before the rain arrived. On the other hand, Yamaha’s technical troubles meant they could not test their bikes at all on Day Two. The wet weather also limited important testing time for all teams.

The final day of the Sepang test will be on Thursday, and many teams will hope for better weather and more track time to complete their work before moving on to the next test session in Thailand. Riders and engineers will be eager to try new parts, complete long runs, and find more performance before the 2026 MotoGP season begins.