Bendsneyder satisfied with lap time, Odendaal disappointed

The Grand Prix of Italy does not yet bring the NTS RW Racing GP squad what the team had hoped for. Team and rider are quite satisfied with the lap times of Bo Bendsneyder, but not with the twentieth position the Dutchman will have to start the race from. With Steven Odendaal disappointment prevails. The South African starts the Moto2 race on Sunday at the Mugello circuit from 28th place.

With his 1.52.062 Bendsneyder came just a few hundredths short of reaching the second qualifying round. At the moment the Dutchman set that time, it was good for fourth and therefore a place in Q2. At the last minute, two others dived just under the time of Bendsneyder. “Bo had a good qualifying session,” said NTS RW Racing GP team manager Jarno Janssen. “Mugello is a very difficult circuit to set up a fast lap. The time that Bo has set was just right. If you just miss Q2 by only a few hundredths, that’s a shame. He had earned more than twentieth place.”

Janssen could not be satisfied with the time (1.53.806) and the position (28th) of Odendaal. “That is disappointing. Steven somehow cannot find the rhythm and that is what you need on this circuit with its smooth lines.”

Bo Bendsneyder: “Just because I was 0.7 faster this afternoon than this morning, we can be very satisfied. I am quite satisfied with the lap time and the race pace, but not with the position. We knew in advance that it would not be the easiest weekend for us, but it must still be possible to score points from twentieth place.”

Steven Odendaal: “This is the worst qualification I can remember. The weekend is disastrous, and I cannot explain why. We are going to drastically change the bike for tomorrow. I have nothing to lose, so we can take that risk.”