A strong home GP for Fantic Racing Lino Sonego with Barry Baltus’ sixth podium of the season and important points secured by Aron Canet.
The Misano weekend ends with a big smile for Fantic Racing Lino Sonego, as the team secures another prestigious result thanks to Barry Baltus’ second place, his sixth podium of the season. Aron Canet crossed the finish line in seventh position, collecting valuable championship points.
The weekend had already started with positive momentum in free practice, culminating in a strong qualifying session: Baltus fourth and Canet fifth, both lining up on the second row.
In the race, the Belgian got off well from fourth on the grid, but in the hectic opening stages of the first sector he lost ground, dropping to sixth. Without losing focus, Baltus mounted a determined comeback, entering the top five by lap four and moving into podium contention shortly after mid-race with two decisive overtakes on Gonzalez and Moreira. For second place, Baltus had to battle Holgado, beating him in the final laps thanks to a sharp race pace that almost brought him within reach of victory: Baltus crossed the line just 0.7 sec behind Vietti.
Aron Canet, on the other hand, had a more difficult start, ending the first lap in ninth. The Spaniard gritted his teeth, rediscovered a good feeling with his bike, and climbed back up to finish seventh. A result that, while not fully matching his expectations, still allows him to stay firmly in the title fight: he is now 39 points off the lead.
Thanks to Baltus’ podium, which brings him closer to the top three in the standings (just 54 points from the leader and 15 from his teammate), and Canet’s seven-place finish, Fantic Racing Lino Sonego extends its advantage in the Team Championship by 8 points, consolidating the lead with a 30-point gap ahead of the upcoming Asian round in Japan.
Barry Baltus:
“I’m super happy to be back on the podium, especially after three tough races. It feels amazing to find the good feeling with the bike again and to be this strong in the race – I think it was one of my fastest Moto2 races ever, and I was really close to the victory. I lost some ground on the first lap when I got pushed wide and had to recover, but in the end I’m very happy to take these 20 points before heading to Asia. Big thanks to the team for the amazing job as always – this result is for them. The key this weekend was the work we did from Friday onwards: we focused only on race pace, not on time attack, managing the tyres to be ready for Sunday. And it paid off – in the middle of the race I could keep a really strong and consistent rhythm while others dropped. The win was very close, but I’m really satisfied with this second place. Now we look ahead to Asia: we’ll keep fighting every weekend, and I’m sure more chances to win will come.”
Aron Canet:
“This weekend was a bit tough, but I’m happy with the work the team did: in the end, we identified important areas to improve. I’m confident that the next race will go better because we know exactly what to focus on.”
Roberto Locatelli, Fantic Racing Lino Sonego Team Manager:
“We are very pleased with Barry’s race: he showed maturity, speed and great determination, confirming the value of the hard work the whole team is putting in. This second place gives us confidence and rewards the effort of everyone in the garage. With Aron we have to see the glass half full: despite the difficulties, he brought home important points and, above all, encouraging signs in terms of feeling with the bike. I am confident we will soon see him fighting again for the positions he deserves.”
