Bo Bendsneyder improved his times on the second day of the Moto2 test in Qatar, but was not satisfied. The Dutch rider of NTS RW Racing GP closed the day as sixteenth overall with a time of 1.59.880, which he set in the second of the three sessions. His temporary teammate Jesko Raffin, on his first day with the NTS, made it to 2.00.976, which was good for 26th overall. Bendsneyder did not have an easy day. Especially the front of the NTS gave problems and despite various changes to the suspension, the team led by chief mechanic Hans Spaan didn’t get much further. Because it was considerably cooler in the last session and the white lines on the Losail International Circuit became damp and slippery, RW Racing GP decided to call it a day and focus on solutions for tomorrow. While Bendsneyder was busy with the details, Jesko Raffin became acquainted with the NTS. The Swiss arrived yesterday in Qatar as a replacement for the injured Steven Odendaal. For him the NTS is a completely new machine. Raffin closed the first session with 2.02.124 as best time, but improved significantly in the second session to 2.00.976.
Bo Bendsneyder: “It was a difficult day, even though the position is not that bad at all. The lap times are pretty good and also constant; we certainly should not complain about that, but we do have some problems. For tomorrow we will change the balance of the bike, because with only adjustments to the suspension we don’t get any further at this moment. All in all it was not bad, but I am not satisfied either. We have some serious work to do tomorrow.”
Results Day 2:
Pos | Rider | Team | Fastest lap |
1 | Sam LOWES | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | 1:58.824 |
2 | Remy GARDNER | ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team | 1:58.879 |
3 | Jorge MARTIN | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1:59.039 |
4 | Alex MARQUEZ | EG 0.0 Marc VDS | 1:59.119 |
5 | Xavi VIERGE | EG 0.0 Marc VDS | 1:59.168 |
6 | Luca MARINI | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1:59.260 |
7 | Jorge NAVARRO | +Ego Speed Up | 1:59.330 |
8 | Marcel SCHROTTER | Dynavolt Intact GP | 1:59.370 |
9 | Tom LUTHI | Dynavolt Intact GP | 1:59.386 |
10 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | +Ego Speed Up | 1:59.407 |
11 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team | 1:59.407 |
12 | Iker LECUONA | American Racing KTM | 1:59.452 |
13 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | FlexBox HP 40 | 1:59.522 |
14 | Brad BINDER | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1:59.532 |
15 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | FlexBox HP 40 | 1:59.717 |
16 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NTS RW Racing GP | 1:59.880 |
17 | Enea BASTIANINI | Italtrans Racing Team | 1:59.884 |
18 | Andrea LOCATELLI | Italtrans Racing Team | 1:59.905 |
19 | Nicolo BULEGA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1:59.985 |
20 | Somkiat CHANTRA | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia | 2:00.060 |
21 | Simone CORSI | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | 2:00.450 |
22 | Jake DIXON | Angel Nieto Team | 2:00.495 |
23 | Dominique AEGERTER | MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward | 2:00.546 |
24 | Joe ROBERTS | American Racing KTM | 2:00.629 |
25 | Khairul Idham PAWI | Petronas Sprinta Racing | 2:00.872 |
26 | Jesko RAFFIN | NTS RW Racing GP | 2:00.976 |
27 | Lukas TULOVIC | Kiefer Racing | 2:01.302 |
28 | Philipp OETTL | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 2:01.350 |
29 | Stefano MANZI | MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward | 2:01.687 |
30 | Marco BEZZECCHI | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 2:02.022 |
31 | Dimas Ekky PRATAMA | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia | 2:02.329 |
32 | Xavier CARDELUS | Angel Nieto Team | 2:02.476 |
Source: motogp.com, rwracinggp.com