Fantic Racing ready for a comeback race with Canet and Baltus among the frontrunners.
The Indonesian Grand Prix at the Mandalika International Circuit delivered a Saturday full of mixed emotions for the Fantic Racing team. After a challenging Friday, during which Barry Baltus confirmed his strong feeling with the bike by advancing directly to Q2, Aron Canet faced more difficulties, also limited by a fall in the free practice sessions.
During qualifying, Baltus confirmed his competitiveness by finishing in ninth position, ready to fight for the top positions in tomorrow’s race. Canet, however, was unable to get through Q1 and will start from 21st on the grid, meaning he will face a recovery race.
Despite the challenges, the team looks to the weekend with confidence: Mandalika is a track that always offers surprises and opportunities, and with the work done so far, the squad is ready to give their all on track. The goal is to regain ground in the standings and strengthen their presence among the championship contenders.
Barry Baltus: “Of course, it’s not the result we were aiming for, but considering the physical condition I’ve been in, we can be happy with P9 today. Yesterday I got really sick after FP1 and had to go to the clinic because of dehydration and food intoxication. This morning things went a bit better and, in terms of race pace, we showed good potential. Ninth is not the best, but it’s not the worst either. We need to keep in mind the circumstances and tomorrow the goal is to bring home as many points as possible.”
Aron Canet: “It was a challenging Friday, and today wasn’t easy either. I had some difficulties in the free practice sessions and couldn’t get through Q1. Tomorrow will be a recovery race, but I know the Mandalika track well and it can always bring surprises. The goal is to stay focused, push to the maximum, and try to gain as many positions as possible.”
Roberto Locatelli, Team Manager: “Qualifying didn’t go as we wanted. After this morning’s practice we decided to try a solution that looked promising, but it actually created too much chattering and Barry wasn’t able to push as he wished. We’ve already identified the change to make and tomorrow we’ll go back to a safer configuration. Starting from the third row is not ideal – the first two would have been easier – but it still puts us close to the front group, with the chance to fight in an aggressive race from the very first laps. For Aron, instead, it will be a comeback race: starting so far back in Moto2 is never easy, but we know where to improve on the bike and we’re confident he can recover positions. Tomorrow it will take intelligence, strength and determination from both riders, because it will be important to fight through the group and bring home the best possible result.”
