On the first day of the Grand Prix of Austria it was a bit of a search for Bo Bendsneyder and Dominique Aegerter. Finding the right way, with the NTS frame and new front tire working well on the Red Bull Ring, is a challenge for both NTS RW Racing GP and both riders. What works and what doesn’t, what adjustments are improvements, what the rider can do with the settings and how he feels with the bike, is a matter of trying out on every circuit. With many variable factors – frame, tires, track character, tarmac condition, weather conditions, riding style of the riders – that is always a challenge. Sometimes things go well right away, sometimes more time is needed to find the right direction.
On the first day in Austria, Bo Bendsneyder and his crew had a little more trouble with that than Dominique Aegerter and his team. The differences are very small, but Aegerter finished above Bendsneyder in both free practices. The Swiss finished the first day at the Red Bull Ring in 22nd place with 1.30.318, set in FP2. The Dutchman finished in 26th with the 1.30.461 he rode in FP1.
Bo Bendsneyder: “It was a difficult first day. This morning the bike did not feel very well. We thought we knew what was going on, but the changes didn’t work out as we hoped. The feeling was even less in the afternoon. The strong points of the morning were also the negatives and those negatives have not improved. Let’s hope that we can take the step tomorrow and that things will go better then.”
Results FP2:
Pos | Rider | Team | Fastest lap |
1 | Sam LOWES | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | 1’28.985 |
2 | Jorge MARTIN | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’28.995 |
3 | Jake DIXON | Petronas Sprinta Racing | 1’29.207 |
4 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | 1’29.368 |
5 | Joe ROBERTS | Tennor American Racing | 1’29.436 |
6 | Xavi VIERGE | Petronas Sprinta Racing | 1’29.510 |
7 | Jorge NAVARRO | Beta Tools Speed Up | 1’29.577 |
8 | Marcel SCHROTTER | Liqui Moly Intact GP | 1’29.578 |
9 | Enea BASTIANINI | Italtrans Racing Team | 1’29.593 |
10 | Aron CANET | Inde Aspar Team | 1’29.659 |
11 | Somkiat CHANTRA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | 1’29.692 |
12 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’29.735 |
13 | Stefano MANZI | MV Agusta Forward Racing | 1’29.818 |
14 | Marco BEZZECCHI | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’29.836 |
15 | Remy GARDNER | Onexox TKKR SAG Team | 1’29.845 |
16 | Hafizh SYAHRIN | Inde Aspar Team | 1’29.858 |
17 | Marcos RAMIREZ | Tennor American Racing | 1’29.875 |
18 | Thomas LUTHI | Liqui Moly Intact GP | 1’29.895 |
19 | Luca MARINI | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’30.022 |
20 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | Flexbox HP 40 | 1’30.178 |
21 | Nicolò BULEGA | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | 1’30.228 |
22 | Dominique AEGERTER | NTS RW Racing GP | 1’30.318 |
23 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | Italtrans Racing Team | 1’30.354 |
24 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | Beta Tools Speed Up | 1’30.392 |
25 | Hector GARZO | Flexbox HP 40 | 1’30.407 |
26 | Edgar PONS | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | 1’30.489 |
27 | Andi Farid IZDIHAR | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | 1’30.774 |
28 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NTS RW Racing GP | 1’30.876 |
29 | Simone CORSI | MV Agusta Forward Racing | 1’31.491 |
30 | Kasma DANIEL | Onexox TKKR SAG Team | 1’31.542 |
Source: motogp.com, rwracinggp.com