No track time for Bautista and Pedrosa as engine problem keeps all Honda riders in the garage

All four Honda riders sat out the second day of the Sepang test as a precaution pending the resolution of an engine failure suffered by one of the Honda RC213Vs late on the first day of testing.

The engine on the RC213V of Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa suffered a failure late on Tuesday while he was on his 36th lap of the 5.548Km circuit outside of Kuala Lumpur. Pedrosa had earlier set the second fastest time, second only to team-mate Casey Stoner, the pace-setter on the opening day.

Pedrosa’s engine was flown to Japan from Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night for inspection and analysis, but it arrived at the Honda Racing Corporation race shop after the Wednesday lunch break, by which time the Sepang International Circuit was doused in heavy rain. That meant a day of no testing for Repsol Honda riders Stoner and Pedrosa, San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista, and LCR Honda MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl.

The Honda riders will return to the track on Thursday for the final day of the three-day test.

Source: Honda Racing