The Red Bull KTM Ajo team riders started work for the Italian GP this Friday at Mugello. Over the course of two Free Practice sessions at the demanding Italian track, Bo Bendsneyder and Niccolo Antonelli completed the first day of action in 17th and 23rd, respectively, on the combined timesheet. Their Friday workload saw them take a more experimental approach than at other Grands Prix. The morning session saw the Red Bull KTM Ajo riders out on track at one of the most beautiful and difficult circuits on the calendar. Bendsneyder and Antonelli took things slowly, adapting the setup of their KTM bikes to the characteristics of the Italian track. The Dutchman finished 14th -1:59.902-, followed closely by his teammate in 16th -2:00.166. The track temperature in the afternoon rose to 52ºC, making things tough for tyres. Bendsneyder was the first of the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo to lower their morning time, although Antonelli also did so in the final quarter hour. The Dutchman was 16th with a time of 1:59.206, while the Italian had his final lap scrubbed and had to settle for 22nd in the session -1:59.620.
64 BO BENDSNEYDER
“Today wasn’t as bad as it might seem on the timesheets. I felt comfortable with the used tyre, especially in FP2. Then we changed tyres for a qualifying simulation and I also felt strong, although on the last stint there was already a lot of traffic on track and it wasn’t so easy. I did my best lap with the soft tyre, after four laps, but before that I had completed other good laps. Going by the result alone, today isn’t a very positive day, but everything is much better than it seems.”
Results FP2:
POS | Rider | TEAM | Fastest lap |
1 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | 1’57.328 |
2 | Nicolo BULEGA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’57.379 |
3 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | Aspar Mahindra Moto3 | 1’57.618 |
4 | John MCPHEE | British Talent Team | 1’57.878 |
5 | Joan MIR | Leopard Racing | 1’58.028 |
6 | Jorge MARTIN | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | 1’58.061 |
7 | Juanfran GUEVARA | RBA BOE Racing Team | 1’58.296 |
8 | Romano FENATI | Marinelli Rivacold Snipers | 1’58.325 |
9 | Aron CANET | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | 1’58.354 |
10 | Enea BASTIANINI | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | 1’58.441 |
11 | Tony ARBOLINO | SIC58 Squadra Corse | 1’58.577 |
12 | Andrea MIGNO | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’58.854 |
13 | Jakub KORNFEIL | Peugeot MC Saxoprint | 1’59.117 |
14 | Jules DANILO | Marinelli Rivacold Snipers | 1’59.118 |
15 | Philipp OETTL | Südmetall Schedl GP Racing | 1’59.158 |
16 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’59.206 |
17 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | SIC58 Squadra Corse | 1’59.251 |
18 | Darryn BINDER | Platinum Bay Real Estate | 1’59.325 |
19 | Albert ARENAS | Aspar Mahindra Moto3 | 1’59.362 |
20 | Adam NORRODIN | SIC Racing Team | 1’59.412 |
21 | Marcos RAMIREZ | Platinum Bay Real Estate | 1’59.490 |
22 | Niccolò ANTONELLI | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’59.620 |
23 | Ayumu SASAKI | SIC Racing Team | 1’59.716 |
24 | Livio LOI | Leopard Racing | 1’59.723 |
25 | Marco BEZZECCHI | CIP | 2’00.080 |
26 | Maria HERRERA | AGR Team | 2’00.338 |
27 | Kaito TOBA | Honda Team Asia | 2’00.528 |
28 | Edoardo SINTONI | 3570-MTA | 2’00.596 |
29 | Nakarin ATIRATPHUVAPAT | Honda Team Asia | 2’01.066 |
30 | Patrik PULKKINEN | Peugeot MC Saxoprint | 2’01.771 |
31 | Manuel PAGLIANI | CIP |
Source: motogp.com, ajo.fi