French sensation Fabio Quartararo showcased his speed on Saturday, February 8, 2020, recording a lap time of 58.57 seconds. Representing the Petronas Yamaha SRT team on the YZR-M1, he led a competitive field of 25 other riders during the second day of testing at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit.
Jack Miller of Pramac Racing secured the second-fastest time at 58.64 seconds, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Dani Pedrosa rounded out the top three with a 58.66. The pre-season preparations continue with two tests in Qatar and one in Jerez from February 19th to 21st. The competitive season officially begins in Doha on March 3rd, 2020, with the final race of the year scheduled for November 15th.
Since starting out in 2010, SIC Racing has seen steady growth, leading them to upgrade their operations following the 2018 Championships. This evolution led to a deal with Yamaha Motors, providing the team with cutting-edge YZR-M1 bikes. On February 7th, the SIC and Yamaha partnership officially presented their star duo, Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, along with their machines. During the second day of testing at Sepang, Morbidelli posted a respectable time of 58.83 seconds, and he will join Quartararo and the rest of the grid for the upcoming tests in Qatar.
Following their official presentation, Quartararo and Morbidelli spent February 8th getting comfortable with their new bikes. Over the course of 72 laps, Quartararo emerged as the fastest rider, beating Jack Miller by a slim 0.069 seconds and coming within just 0.26 seconds of the existing Sepang lap record. Meanwhile, Morbidelli demonstrated impressive consistency across 60 laps, finishing only 0.25 seconds behind his teammate's best time.
Reflecting on the sessions, Quartararo praised the joint efforts of Yamaha and the SIC racing team, noting that while there is still room for refinement, he felt a strong connection to the bike and was pleased with the initial results. Morbidelli, on the other hand, focused on incremental lap improvements and experimenting with the track, specifically testing the new chassis and rear tire setup. Both riders expressed confidence in their readiness for the 2020 season.