Hopeful start in warm Brno

NTS RW Racing GP has made a hopeful start on the first day of the Czech GP. Especially in the second free practice, Bo Bendsneyder and Dominique Aegerter made a lot of progress. Bendsneyder finished the day in 17th place with 2.03.490. Aegerter, who, as a replacement for Jesko Raffin, was on the NTS for the first time, finished 25th in the combined rankings with 2.03.965.

NTS RW Racing GP team manager Jarno Janssen was satisfied after the first day in Brno. “We have made a good step. Domi immediately picked it up well and that is nice to see. Bo was also able to make a good step in the second practice. That is very promising. ”
Despite the higher temperatures, Bendsneyder was almost a second faster in the afternoon. The difference to the fastest man in Moto2 decreased from 1.852 to 0.801. In the final phase of practice, he was close to direct qualification for Q2, but that just didn’t work. Aegerter clearly needed the first practice to get used to the NTS. He took even more off of his time and narrowed the margin from +2.833 in FP1 to +1.276 in FP2.

Bo Bendsneyder: “The beginning is much better here than in Jerez. The feeling is better too. We kept on riding with the hard tire in the second practice session, but with a new rear tire and a used one at the front, it was not good. After we switched to both new front and rear, things went much better. The rear grip is an issue we still need to work on. I am satisfied with the progress we have already made today. Brno is a long circuit, so a lot is possible.”

Dominique Aegerter: “First of all I would like to wish Jesko Raffin a speedy recovery. I know it’s hard for a rider to see someone else on their bike, but I’m glad NTS RW Racing GP gave me this opportunity and I hope I can help the team move forward with my experience. In any case, it is interesting to be back in Moto2, even if only as a substitute. I have already ridden many different Moto2 machines and it is nice to be able to try a new one. My first impression is positive: it is a powerful machine. Compared to this morning, we have been able to make a significant improvement in the afternoon. I hope that tomorrow we can get a little closer and that my experience can help to achieve that.”