Saturday's qualifying session for the Czech GP in Brno will go down in Belgian motorcycle racing history. Barry Baltus, the country's sole representative in the world championship, achieved a remarkable feat by securing his first-ever Moto2 pole position, along with a new all-time circuit record: 1'58.322. A result built on a difficult start to the weekend, which earned his team the admiration of the riders.
Roberto Locatelli, Team Manager of Fantic Racing Lino Sonego, does not hide his enthusiasm at the end of this day: "A fantastic Saturday for Barry, a fully deserved pole position, achieved with intelligence and determination. He responded perfectly after a difficult Friday, and the whole team was impeccable." In the rain on Friday, the Belgian could only manage 16th, deprived of any real benchmarks in the dry. But on Saturday morning, his hard work paid off: Baltus immediately found the right setup in FP2, dominated Q1, and finished brilliantly in Q2.
Questioned just after the session, Barry Baltus beams: “It feels amazing to be on pole. If someone had told me that last night, I wouldn’t have believed it. I didn’t really have a reference point, having only raced here once in 2020. But today we took a big step forward. I already felt strong in Q1 and I think going through there gave me a slight advantage. In Q2, I had a good lap, and now I’m on pole, with a new lap record. I’m really happy! The pace was good this morning, so we’re going into tomorrow’s race with confidence. A big thank you to the team for their great work!”
© Fantic Racing
In the other Fantic pit, joy mixed with frustration for Aron Canet. The Spanish rider, a serious podium contender, saw his ambitions thwarted by a crash on his first flying lap in Q2. Brought back to the pits, his bike was quickly repaired by highly motivated mechanics, but Canet missed the chance to restart before the checkered flag by a few seconds. Condemned to 18th position on the grid, he will keep the width and opportunities offered by Brno, a track conducive to comebacks, to his advantage.
Another source of satisfaction for Fantic Racing: Mattia Pasini, a wild card entry, climbed to 8th position after a remarkable Q2, the first Italian on the grid and a solid outsider for the race. His experience could well be a factor in the field on Sunday.
Thanks to the Belgian, the entire team will approach Sunday's race with high morale. For the main player concerned, as for the Belgian fans, this Saturday is already a success, but could only be a foretaste of the feat that is within reach of the number 7 in the race. The start of the race will be given this Sunday at 12:15 p.m.
