Bendsneyder misses chance to fight for points
The Catalunya Grand Prix was a race of many ‘what if’s’ for NTS RW Racing GP. Seeing Bo Bendsneyder finishing the Moto2 race in Barcelona in 17th, what if he had had a better qualifying on Saturday? What if he had had a better start? Of course, there is no guarantee the result would have been different, but the nagging feeling of dearly missed chances remained. Not for Piotr Biesiekirski, who made it to the finish of a Grand Prix for the first time, in 21st.
Bo Bendsneyder had a terrible start of the race, from 28th. In the first lap he even lost another position, which he had to make up for in the following laps. After overtaking a number of riders in front of him, the Dutchman got into the rhythm and his pace went up steadily, but the gap to the group fighting for points, was already too big to overcome.
“It’s a shame how the weekend developed on Bo’s side after the promising first day”, NTS RW Racing GP team manager Jarno Janssen analyses. “It’s a complicated situation and we don’t really understand what has happened on Saturday compared to Friday. With a better second day Bo should have been able to fight for points, as his pace in the race was not bad at all. He could have been in the battle today as well, even after a start from 28th, had he had a better start.”
After crashing out in his debut in Misano, in the penultimate lap, this time young Piotr Biesiekirski could make it to the finish. Only a few days after turning 19, finishing in 21st was like an extra present for the Polish rider, who will deputize for Jesko Raffin in Le Mans as well.
Team manager Janssen was happy to see Biesiekirski finish the race. “Piotr did very well again this weekend, making progress in every session. He made a big step compared to last week in Misano. Le Mans will be a new track for him, so it might be more difficult for him overthere, but seeing how he improves in getting used to the bike, I’m confident he will continue to progress also in France.”
Bo Bendsneyder: “I had a good feeling with the bike, almost like on Friday, so it is a real shame that I had to start from 28th. I admit the start was not good. I pulled a huge wheelie coming from the start and lost connection on the straight. Only after a few laps, when some of the riders in front of me started making mistakes, I could overtake them. From that moment on I was able to ride a good pace. The bike felt good in the race and I hope we can keep that feeling for Le Mans and make it count.”
Piotr Biesiekirski: “I’m happy to have finished my second ever World Championship race. I’ve gained more experience but a I’m quite a bit disappointed with my pace. I was hoping to finish closer to the group. Unfortunately I’ve lost a lot of time at the beginning of the race, which meant that my rivals opened up a gap which I couldn’t close in. I’ve felt really comfortable on the bike all weekend but somehow lost that feeling in the race even if we haven’t changed the setup for today. I just couldn’t find my way and every time I tried to push I’d go wide. I’d like to thank the team for their great work and support all weekend. I can’t wait for the next round in Le Mans.”