In view of the expected rain on Saturday, Bo Bendsneyder and Jesko Raffin had to try as many things as possible and gather as much information as possible on the first day of the Grand Prix of Japan, to perform well in the home race of NTS on Sunday. The Grand Prix of Japan started at the beginning of the week already for Bendsneyder, Raffin and team manager Jarno Janssen with a visit to the NTS factory in Fukushima. “Super nice to meet the people who are working very hard for us behind the scenes,” Bendsneyder said. Under the watchful eye of, among others, NTS CEO Masahiro Namatame, it was up to the riders today to get the best out of the material at the TwinRing in Motegi. In chilly conditions, it was important to gather as much information as possible for the Sunday race, as rain is forecast for Saturday. Bendsneyder and Raffin used the first free practice to learn and to try as much as possible with different settings of the NTS. At the end of the day, that resulted in Bendsneyder taking the 23rd time, with a fastest lap of 1.51.721, and Raffin in 27th place with 1.52.302.
Bo Bendsneyder: “The position is not great, but it was not a bad day. The differences, especially to the fourteenth, fifteenth place, are small. In FP1 we have tried a lot and made many laps to get as much information as possible. In FP2, a fast lap was difficult because it was cold and there was a strong wind, but we managed to be a lot faster. We could see how the temperature of the tires collapsed when I closed the throttle. The grip was also a lot less. I think the pace is quite good. I know on which points I can and must improve myself tomorrow – when it is dry. When it rains, as is expected, everyone starts at zero again and we will see where we stand.”
Results FP2:
| Pos | Rider | Team | Fastest lap |
| 1 | Alex MARQUEZ | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | 1’50.647 |
| 2 | Brad BINDER | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’50.828 |
| 3 | Jorge MARTIN | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’50.901 |
| 4 | Luca MARINI | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’50.921 |
| 5 | Sam LOWES | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | 1’50.929 |
| 6 | Nicolo BULEGA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’50.964 |
| 7 | Stefano MANZI | MV Agusta Temporary Forward | 1’51.037 |
| 8 | Thomas LUTHI | Dynavolt Intact GP | 1’51.040 |
| 9 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | FLEXBOX HP 40 | 1’51.113 |
| 10 | Marcel SCHROTTER | Dynavolt Intact GP | 1’51.123 |
| 11 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | FLEXBOX HP 40 | 1’51.188 |
| 12 | Iker LECUONA | monday.com American Racing | 1’51.190 |
| 13 | Enea BASTIANINI | Italtrans Racing Team | 1’51.228 |
| 14 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | Beta Tools Speed Up | 1’51.248 |
| 15 | Somkiat CHANTRA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | 1’51.306 |
| 16 | Marco BEZZECCHI | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 1’51.390 |
| 17 | Jorge NAVARRO | Beta Tools Speed Up | 1’51.399 |
| 18 | Joe ROBERTS | monday.com American Racing | 1’51.506 |
| 19 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team | 1’51.563 |
| 20 | Remy GARDNER | ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team | 1’51.581 |
| 21 | Andrea LOCATELLI | Italtrans Racing Team | 1’51.692 |
| 22 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NTS RW Racing GP | 1’51.721 |
| 23 | Dominique AEGERTER | MV Agusta Temporary Forward | 1’51.734 |
| 24 | Jake DIXON | Gaviota Angel Nieto Team | 1’51.816 |
| 25 | Mattia PASINI | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | 1’51.835 |
| 26 | Xavi VIERGE | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | 1’51.965 |
| 27 | Jesko RAFFIN | NTS RW Racing GP | 1’52.717 |
| 28 | Philipp OETTL | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 1’52.898 |
| 29 | Dimas EKKY PRATAMA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | 1’53.737 |
| 30 | Lukas TULOVIC | Kiefer Racing | 1’53.863 |
| 31 | Adam NORRODIN | Petronas Sprinta Racing | 1’54.311 |
| 32 | Xavi CARDELUS | Gaviota Angel Nieto Team | 1’55.630 |
Source: motogp.com, rwracinggp.com
