Spanish rookie Marc Marquez could contend in 2013. Image: MotoGP.com.

Repsol Honda rookie Marc Marquez has fired the first warning signals that he’ll be a title threat in the 2013 MotoGP World Championship after a sterling test in Texas.

The 20-year-old set the pace across all three days at Austin’s new Circuit of the Americas facility, eventually leading teammate Dani Pedrosa by sixth tenths of a second at the conclusion.

“This last day was quite good for me,” he lamented. “From the beginning, the bike felt the same as yesterday and we started to try some things that the technical guys had in mind. It brought quite a big improvement.

“I think it’s quite important to be here, not only because we’ll be here for the second race but also for physical conditions – because you struggle quite a bit on this track and need to push especially hard with the change of direction in the first chicanes.

“Most importantly, we’ve come here, we know the track and we’ve found a good base for when we come here for the second race.”

The test including Repsol Honda and LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl all three days, while Yamaha Factory Team riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were on track during the first two days.