MotoGP Buriram test: Marco Bezzecchi breaks track record on final day

Bezzecchi leads Aprilia 1-2 as pre-season testing ends in Buriram

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 Ai Ogura 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