In FP1, Binder was the first to take the initiative, topping the timesheets on his early laps. A rear tyre that provided a lot of chatter hindered him for part of the session, and his best time of 2:00.649 placed him down in eleventh. Ninth was rookie Bendsneyder –2:00.466– who was back amongst the Top 10 for the entirety of the morning run. In the second session, Binder was the standout from start to finish. He lowered his best time from the morning just two laps in, and following a pair of pit stops he managed to stop the clock at 1:58.998. He was the only rider togo
round in the 1:58s. Bendsneyder spent the 40 minute run trying out things with his KTM, having been satisfied with his feeling in the morning. He placed twenty-third, with a 2:00.721 best lap.
64 BO BENDSNEYDER
“FP1 went very well. I was able to improve on every lap and I ended up very happy. Besides that, I set my best time riding alone. In the afternoon session we tested shorter gearing, but it did not work as we had hoped and it was not possible to change it back in the middle of practice. It’s a shame because we were not able to make the most of FP2, but we had to try it. Now we know what we have to do for tomorrow, and if all goes well I hope to be among the Top 10. Tomorrow the main thing is to find a good setup and set a good pace, and with that I hope to fight to be among the first four rows of the grid.”
results FP2:
source: motogp.com, ajo.fi
