The first European leg of the Moto3 World Championship got underway today at Jerez Circuit, where difficult track conditions greeted the Red Bull KTM Ajo team riders. After an FP1 session in the rain and an FP2 in which puddles and damp spots remained on the Andalusian track, Niccolo Antonelli finished seventh overall. Teammate Bo Bendsneyder was 22nd in the combined standings for the two sessions. No sooner had Free Practice 1 got underway at 9am than rain began to fall. The fine precipitation completely altered plans for Antonelli and Bendsneyder, as the track was slow in becoming completely wet. The pair delayed their departure from the pits until only quarter of an hour remained in the session, emerging with wet tyres. They placed fifth -2:02.073- and fourteenth -2:04.206-, respectively. Despite the appearance of sunshine for FP2, the track still had wet sections that prevented the lower cylinder class riders from going fast from the start. After waiting 7 minutes in the pits for the conditions to improve, the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo decided on a stint with slick tyres. Bendsneyder would complete only one lap before returning to the garage to wait for the track to dry completely. On their last run, both riders were able to set their best times of the day, with Antonelli finishing seventh -1:50.964- and Bendsneyder 22nd -1:52.264.
64 BO BENDSNEYDER
“Today was a difficult day here in Jerez. In FP1, with a wet track, I preferred not to risk things, since it looks like tomorrow and on Sunday the conditions will be completely different, with plenty of sun. FP2 was dry, but there were parts of the track that were still wet and I didn’t feel comfortable. We’ve learned things from this day, but we can say that due to the track conditions we will be practically starting again tomorrow, with more normal conditions. The goal for qualifying is to get amongst the front three rows -we will see how we do in dry conditions.”
Results FP2:
| POS | Rider | TEAM | Fastest lap |
| 1 | Joan MIR | Leopard Racing | 1’49.564 |
| 2 | Romano FENATI | Marinelli Rivacold Snipers | 1’49.785 |
| 3 | John MCPHEE | British Talent Team | 1’50.398 |
| 4 | Darryn BINDER | Platinum Bay Real Estate | 1’50.566 |
| 5 | Livio LOI | Leopard Racing | 1’50.574 |
| 6 | Tony ARBOLINO | SIC58 Squadra Corse | 1’50.692 |
| 7 | Niccolò ANTONELLI | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’50.964 |
| 8 | Jakub KORNFEIL | Peugeot MC Saxoprint | 1’51.033 |
| 9 | Marcos RAMIREZ | Platinum Bay Real Estate | 1’51.280 |
| 10 | Lorenzo DALLA PORTA | Mahindra Northgate Aspar | 1’51.490 |
| 11 | Aron CANET | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | 1’51.584 |
| 12 | Jorge MARTIN | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | 1’51.725 |
| 13 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | Del Conca Gresini Moto3 | 1’51.787 |
| 14 | Tatsuki SUZUKI | SIC58 Squadra Corse | 1’51.846 |
| 15 | Enea BASTIANINI | Estrella Galicia 0,0 | 1’51.932 |
| 16 | Juanfran GUEVARA | RBA BOE Racing Team | 1’51.933 |
| 17 | Philipp OETTL | Südmetall Schedl GP Racing | 1’51.954 |
| 18 | Jules DANILO | Marinelli Rivacold Snipers | 1’52.124 |
| 19 | Nicolo BULEGA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’52.154 |
| 20 | Gabriel RODRIGO | RBA BOE Racing Team | 1’52.222 |
| 21 | Adam NORRODIN | SIC Racing Team | 1’52.256 |
| 22 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’52.264 |
| 23 | Vicente PEREZ | Reale Avintia Academy | 1’52.373 |
| 24 | Albert ARENAS | Mahindra Northgate Aspar | 1’52.539 |
| 25 | Ayumu SASAKI | SIC Racing Team | 1’52.560 |
| 26 | Marco BEZZECCHI | CIP | 1’52.752 |
| 27 | Raul FERNANDEZ | Mahindra MRW Aspar Team | 1’52.798 |
| 28 | Manuel PAGLIANI | CIP | 1’53.128 |
| 29 | Andrea MIGNO | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’53.321 |
| 30 | Kaito TOBA | Honda Team Asia | 1’53.398 |
| 31 | Maria HERRERA | AGR Team | 1’53.540 |
| 32 | Nakarin ATIRATPHUVAPAT | Honda Team Asia | 1’53.777 |
| 33 | Patrik PULKKINEN | Peugeot MC Saxoprint | 1’54.651 |
Source: ajo.fi, motogp.com
