Marc Marquez showcased his exceptional skill at the 2024 MotoGP Thai Grand Prix, setting a new lap record on his Gresini-run GP23 during the second practice session on Friday afternoon. Marquez’s lap time of 1m29.165s topped the timesheets, pushing him ahead of title contender Jorge Martin by a narrow margin of 0.110 seconds.
Returning to the Buriram track, where he has previously won with Honda, Marquez demonstrated impressive comfort and control throughout the session. Initially establishing the fastest lap with a 1m30.105s, he held the lead for a significant portion of the hour-long session as riders focused on long-run consistency.
With around 15 minutes remaining, KTM’s Brad Binder briefly claimed the lead with a 1m29.949s, soon surpassed by Tech3 GASGAS rookie Pedro Acosta and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, who took the top spot with a 1m29.822s on fresh medium tires. In the final moments, Jorge Martin, the championship leader, clocked a 1m29.275s to go under the lap record. However, Marquez countered with his record-breaking lap of 1m29.165s in the final two minutes, securing the top position.
Among other notable performances, Enea Bastianini recovered from an early fall to finish third, with his Ducati teammate and main title rival Francesco Bagnaia close behind. Maverick Vinales took fifth for Aprilia, while Franco Morbidelli of Pramac finished sixth. Acosta remained KTM’s top rider in seventh, followed by Gresini’s Alex Marquez in eighth, VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi in ninth, and Johann Zarco of LCR Honda rounding out the top ten.
Several prominent riders, including factory KTM racers Binder and Jack Miller, as well as Quartararo, missed out on Q2 qualification. Aleix Espargaro ended his session early, suffering from pain after a heavy crash in FP1, while Trackhouse Aprilia stand-in Lorenzo Savadori crashed early on at the final corner and finished 21st.
With Marquez’s new lap record setting an intense pace, the stage is set for an exciting qualifying session as the riders head into Saturday’s competition.
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