NTS RW Racing GP concludes a positive Jerez test
After three days of hard work NTS RW Racing GP concluded the Moto2 test in Jerez de la Frontera with a good feeling. Bo Bendsneyder finished his last session in eighth and found his name in fifteenth place in the overall rankings after three days. Steven Odendaal ended in 25th overall. “A very positive test, in every aspect”, said RW Racing GP team manager Jarno Janssen.
In the last session of the three-day test, Bo Bendsneyder and Steven Odendaal were no longer in action. “We had used all of the tires and the maximum number of 850 kilometres of the engine,” Janssen explains the early end of the test. That did not only apply to NTS RW Racing GP: almost half of the Moto2 field did not compete in the final session.
Bendsneyder set his best time (1.41.608) in that second session on day 3. This lap time was good for the fifteenth place overall, at 0.626 of Brad Binder, who was the fastest with 1.40.982. Odendaal clocked 1.42.168 and thus was 1.186 from his compatriot Binder. How competitive the Moto2 class is, is evident from the fact that 20 riders were within a second of Binder’s time.
The next preseason test is only a week away. On Friday March 1, Saturday March 2 and Sunday March 3, the Moto2 and Moto3 will test at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, where the first Grand Prix of the 2019 season will be held a week later.
Bo Bendsneyder: “We still managed to find something in the setup of the rear of the NTS so we can save the tires a bit longer. Today I focused a little more on the lap times and that was positive. I have always been able to be in or close to the top 10. We have worked well, made quite some mileage, have done a lot and made progress all the time. It is a good feeling to be able to conclude in eighth place.”
Steven Odendaal: “It was a good day and we have again found a number of points to help us improve. We only need a bit more. For example, we can’t use the bigger tire, which should give us about half a second, but all in all it was a good test that gives us good prospects.”
Click here for the full results of the test in Jerez