A very local rain shower threw a spanner in the works in the final phase of the first qualifying session for the Grand Prix of Thailand. Due to the sudden wetness in turn 3 of the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Jesko Raffin and Bo Bendsneyder saw no chance to make a perfect lap. They ended the session in ninth and eleventh respectively and will start the Moto2 race from 23rd (Raffin) and 25th (Bendsneyder). Although both riders of NTS RW Racing GP improved their lap time compared to Friday, the rankings did not get much better. Raffin won a number of places, but Bendsneyder lost one. The second day of the Thai Grand Prix was erratic. The third free practice was delayed by a few heavy showers. The track then dried up quickly, so that the training for the Moto2 was held under almost dry conditions. The qualification also seemed to be dry, but in the final phase of Q1 suddenly a shower fell in turn 3, as a result of which a number of riders crashed and the rest could not finish the lap according to plan. Bendsneyder was improving his time just at that moment, but could not keep the speed high enough due to the local wetness. He therefore starts from 25th place, two places behind his Swiss teammate.
Bo Bendsneyder (1.36.404): “Too bad about the qualification. I could not ride the lap time that I wanted to. That does not make it any easier for the race. I hope the speed is good tomorrow, because I have only one goal and that is to win as many positions as possible. I’m going to give everything for that.”
Results Q1 & Q2 combined:
| Pos | Rider | Team | Fastest lap |
| 1 | Alex MARQUEZ | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | 1’35.297 |
| 2 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team | 1’35.392 |
| 3 | Jorge MARTIN | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’35.448 |
| 4 | Luca MARINI | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’35.476 |
| 5 | Remy GARDNER | ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team | 1’35.494 |
| 6 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | FLEXBOX HP 40 | 1’35.581 |
| 7 | Xavi VIERGE | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | 1’35.600 |
| 8 | Thomas LUTHI | Dynavolt Intact GP | 1’35.617 |
| 9 | Nicolo BULEGA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’35.634 |
| 10 | Iker LECUONA | American Racing KTM | 1’35.686 |
| 11 | Enea BASTIANINI | Italtrans Racing Team | 1’35.816 |
| 12 | Brad BINDER | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’35.817 |
| 13 | Somkiat CHANTRA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | 1’35.935 |
| 14 | Marcel SCHROTTER | Dynavolt Intact GP | 1’35.969 |
| 15 | Andrea LOCATELLI | Italtrans Racing Team | 1’35.981 |
| 16 | Sam LOWES | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | 1’36.056 |
| 17 | Marco BEZZECCHI | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 1’36.079 |
| 18 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | Beta Tools Speed Up | 1’36.359 |
| 19 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | FLEXBOX HP 40 | 1’36.031 |
| 20 | Stefano MANZI | MV Agusta Temporary Forward | 1’36.034 |
| 21 | Jorge NAVARRO | Beta Tools Speed Up | 1’36.045 |
| 22 | Dominique AEGERTER | MV Agusta Temporary Forward | 1’36.249 |
| 23 | Jesko RAFFIN | NTS RW Racing GP | 1’36.347 |
| 24 | Joe ROBERTS | American Racing KTM | 1’36.382 |
| 25 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NTS RW Racing GP | 1’36.404 |
| 26 | Mattia PASINI | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | 1’36.506 |
| 27 | Jake DIXON | Gaviota Angel Nieto Team | 1’36.825 |
| 28 | Philipp OETTL | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 1’37.084 |
| 29 | Dimas EKKY PRATAMA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | 1’37.109 |
| 30 | Lukas TULOVIC | Kiefer Racing | 1’37.625 |
| 31 | Xavi CARDELUS | Gaviota Angel Nieto Team | 1’37.649 |
| 32 | Adam NORRODIN | Petronas Sprinta Racing | 1’37.775 |
Source: motogp.com, rwracinggp.com
