Taking on the challenge of challenging the powerful Moto2 chassis manufacturers KTM and Kalex with a small team of two motorcycles undoubtedly requires a certain courage, as the Tech3 Racing, Speed Up and Suter teams demonstrate on a daily basis.
It is for this reason that we are closely following the progress of the Dutch team NTS RW Racing which is fielding two cycle parts born in Japan and developed in Spain under the leadership of the company Geo Technology.
However, after the last official tests on the Jerez circuit, the Californian and South African drivers Joe Roberts et Steven Odendaal are in the middle of the grid, 17th and 20th respectively, both less than a second behind the very fast Sam Lowes.
Even before the start of the season, this is a great performance which we hope to confirm during the first rounds to come.
# 16 Joe Roberts : “I am very happy with this test because we found ourselves in P17 and 0,8 seconds from the best time. So I think that's really positive because it's also the smallest gap I've experienced from the summit. You know, eight-tenths is just the kind of thing where you're missing a little something here and there. Although I'm actually surprised about it, because we came here with this bike which is still brand new, it also means the same thing for the whole team. But it seems that we are already well prepared even though we haven't done many laps on this track. But overall, the situation is really encouraging. Beyond that, I am starting to work well with my team leader Hans as we have both reached a level of excellent understanding. I think everything is going really well. One thing I want to focus on is having a really consistent race pace, and if we can do that we can for sure be up there, I mean inside the points. On the other hand, I don't know what to expect from Qatar because I don't know this track yet. However, it feels quite fast and smooth, which generally suits my style very well. And with this new bike, I can't wait and really excited to discover it. I've watched every race in the past, not only because it's the first race of the year but also because every time I go out for the first lap on a new track for me, my stomach turns Upside down. In any case, I am in a positive mood for my first full season in the World Championship. »
# 4 Steven Odendaal : “For my part, I really enjoyed this test because we took positive steps forward to be very consistent in preparation for the races. I think though we still need to find a bit more, but going to Qatar I'm confident and happy with where we are with this bike now, and we can be competitive there. Obviously the goal will be to try to score points, but it will be really difficult to get there. But we will see, because with a little luck and if we are able to manage a good race, this goal should be possible for us. Apart from that, we will have slightly warmer conditions than now, and so we will have to see how our bike reacts in slightly less grip conditions. I discovered the Losail circuit in 2013 and I understand the lines, but it's been quite a long time and a lot has changed since then. In any case, I know the route so let's see how it goes. »
Jarno Janssen, team manager: “In the end, we have to be happy that we were able to do more or less a few decent laps during these three days in Jerez. It cost everyone that the weather was a big problem during these months, in fact throughout the pre-season testing. But we used the conditions as best as possible to put in a very strong test this week. By doing so, we were able to develop our bike in a good direction, take a small step further than what it already was, and both riders also increased their confidence. We are happy with the improvement of NTS and RW Racing. We think leaving Jerez to do the first race in Qatar with a second gap to the fastest is something we can be happy with and which gives us good confidence for the first rounds. »
