The qualification for the Grand Prix of Spain did not bring NTS RW Racing GP what the results of the first day in Jerez did hope for. In Q1 Bo Bendsneyder did the utmost, but that was just not enough to move on to Q2. The Dutchman therefore starts the Moto2 race on Sunday from position 20. Steven Odendaal finished twelfth in Q1 and is therefore in 26th place on the grid. The results of the free practice sessions, with sixth place for Bendsneyder and the 22nd for Odendaal, brought high expectations. The third free practice on Saturday morning was also positive. Both NTS RW Racing GP riders improved their times, but that did not lead to a better position. The circumstances on the Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto were very different on the second day than on the first. Because of the clouds it was considerably less warm and that offered more grip, so that everyone was faster and the differences were a lot smaller. For Bendsneyder and Odendaal, that was not necessarily better.
Bo Bendsneyder (20th – 1.41.923): “It was a lot harder than yesterday. This morning was not bad: the times were better and we knew where the problems were. Unfortunately, we went in the wrong direction. Due to changes at the rear of the machine, the front was too hard. As a result, I lost too much in the fast corners. The final lap was good and I was able to improve my time there too, but unfortunately it was just not enough to reach Q2. The race pace is good, so with a good start it must be possible to have a good result anyway.”
Results Q1 & Q2 Combined:
Pos | Rider | Team | Fastest lap |
1 | Jorge NAVARRO | HDR Heidrun Speed Up | 1’41.182 |
2 | Alex MARQUEZ | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | 1’41.273 |
3 | Augusto FERNANDEZ | Flexbox HP 40 | 1’41.323 |
4 | Remy GARDNER | ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team | 1’41.366 |
5 | Nicolo BULEGA | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’41.393 |
6 | Lorenzo BALDASSARRI | Flexbox HP 40 | 1’41.450 |
7 | Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO | HDR Heidrun Speed Up | 1’41.451 |
8 | Thomas LUTHI | Dynavolt Intact GP | 1’41.458 |
9 | Tetsuta NAGASHIMA | ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team | 1’41.460 |
10 | Brad BINDER | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’41.528 |
11 | Sam LOWES | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 | 1’41.650 |
12 | Xavi VIERGE | EG 0,0 Marc VDS | 1’41.660 |
13 | Luca MARINI | SKY Racing Team VR46 | 1’41.806 |
14 | Marcel SCHROTTER | Dynavolt Intact GP | 1’41.834 |
15 | Andrea LOCATELLI | Italtrans Racing Team | 1’41.837 |
16 | Iker LECUONA | American Racing KTM | 1’41.850 |
17 | Simone CORSI | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 | 1’41.935 |
18 | Enea BASTIANINI | Italtrans Racing Team | 1’41.958 |
19 | Stefano MANZI | MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward | 1’41.896 |
20 | Bo BENDSNEYDER | NTS RW Racing GP | 1’41.923 |
21 | Somkiat CHANTRA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | 1’41.932 |
22 | Jorge MARTIN | Red Bull KTM Ajo | 1’41.953 |
23 | Dominique AEGERTER | MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward | 1’42.014 |
24 | Mattia PASINI | Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team | 1’42.325 |
25 | Marco BEZZECCHI | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 1’42.434 |
26 | Steven ODENDAAL | NTS RW Racing GP | 1’42.515 |
27 | Joe ROBERTS | American Racing KTM | 1’42.534 |
28 | Lukas TULOVIC | Kiefer Racing | 1’42.622 |
29 | Dimas EKKY PRATAMA | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia | 1’42.756 |
30 | Philipp OETTL | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 1’42.817 |
31 | Xavi CARDELUS | Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team | 1’45.154 |
Source: motogp.com, rwracinggp.com