Decent qualification Bendsneyder and Raffin despite half lost day

The second day of the MotoGP of the Americas was a strange day. Due to rain and thunderstorms, the morning literally was a washout, and the free practice sessions had to be cancelled. Without that usual preparation, Bo Bendsneyder and Jesko Raffin started qualifying for the Moto2. This resulted in 16th place for Bendsneyder and 21st for Raffin.

The free practice sessions were cancelled eventually after a few postponements and much uncertainty. So the long wait was for nothing. For NTS RW Racing GP, a wet session would have been welcome. “It didn’t bring much concerning the times, but we didn’t ride in the rain yet this year, while last year we were very strong in wet conditions. So we were curious,” said team manager Jarno Janssen.

Certainly after the difficult first day, Bo Bendsneyder and Jesko Raffin also wanted to continue working on the settings and build up rhythm, but it wasn’t possible. In Q1 they had to be there right from the start, because in fifteen minutes it had to happen. Bendsneyder recovered strongly after the difficult first day and moved on to Q2 with the second time (2.12.043). Raffin had a little more trouble finding his way, but still ended the session with the seventh fastest time (2.13.033).

In Q2, Bendsneyder just couldn’t improve his time from Q1. His 2.12,669 was good for the sixteenth place on the starting grid of the Moto2 race, which starts at 7:20 pm European time.

Bo Bendsneyder (16 – 2.12.669): “I am happy with the qualification, but I also think there was more in it, because in Q1 I was faster. There was a bit more wind in Q2 and that made it harder. Compared to the first day, I am certainly not dissatisfied. It is now up to me to make it a good race and grab as many points as possible. I have to prove that I can also start aggressively, so that I am in a better position right from the start. ”

Jesko Raffin (21 – 2.13.033): “I am not so happy. It was a long sitting this morning and a lost day, while we needed that time so badly. In fifteen minutes we could not find a setting that worked well for me. Because of the rain, the track felt very different from yesterday: the grip was not so good. I am disappointed with the result, because we were much better off yesterday than now. Fighting points from 21st place is a lot more difficult than starting in seventeenth place. Tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities. We’re going to make the best of it. ”

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