In Texas, for the first time in his career, Barry Baltus will line up on the front row. Both Fantic Racing Lino Sonego riders secured a Top 5 spot in qualifying, with Aron Canet set to take on the Americas GP from the second row.

The third round of the Moto2 World Championship is underway at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin. In Texas, the riders were met with unpredictable weather conditions, far from the forecasts. Friday was marked by rain, which led the Fantic Racing Lino Sonego riders to avoid taking unnecessary risks. Nevertheless, both managed to secure a spot in Q2 for qualifying.

Aron Canet pulled off a spectacular moment during practice. After losing traction, he managed to recover his bike with a save worthy of a true rodeo!

Saturday’s second free practice session was used to fine-tune the bike setup and test race pace. Canet proved to be the most consistent. In qualifying, both Canet and Baltus opted for a two-run strategy. At the end of the first run, they were sitting first and second, with the Belgian leading. In the second time attack, they couldn’t improve their lap times, but their earlier efforts were already enough to secure a Top 5 finish for both.

The Belgian talent secured third place with a time of 2:07.727, less than three-tenths off pole position. His teammate Canet took fifth place with a time of 2:07.806.

A late-session crash prevented Barry from celebrating in parc fermé and left the entire team holding their breath. The visit to the Medical Center ruled out any serious injuries, but an additional fit check will still be necessary tomorrow morning due to a wound near the knee.

Aron Canet:

“Starting from the second row is still a good result for tomorrow. I wanted more, but today we focused more on finding the right race pace for tomorrow rather than on a single fast lap.”

Barry Baltus:

“Of course, I am happy with today’s result. I feel good, and I am fit at the moment. Tomorrow morning, I will have to do another check. Finally, I made it to the front row, and we can start from a good position. It feels great to be back at the front. However, it is only Saturday, so we need to give it all tomorrow. The team has done an amazing job. This year, I'm getting used to being in the battle for the top positions, and we will fight tomorrow.”

Roberto Locatelli, Fantic Racing Lino Sonego Team Manager:

“It was a positive Saturday, Barry Baltus qualified on the front row, and Aron Canet was not far behind in fifth position. In the first part of the session, they were even first and second. We tried to work on every little detail in the final run, but we couldn’t improve the final result.”