A hard-fought race for the Fantic Racing Team. Baltus delivered a brilliant comeback to finish sixth, while Canet secured a solid top ten after an intense battle in the leading group.
The Australian Grand Prix weekend in Phillip Island concluded with a double top ten for the Fantic Racing Team. After yesterday’s qualifying session — which saw Aron Canet take eighth on the grid despite a crash in Q2, and Barry Baltus in tenth — the team once again showed strength and consistency in the race.
Sunday began with positive weather but strong winds, typical of the Australian circuit. When the lights went out, Canet made a strong start, immediately gaining a position and joining the leading group. The pace throughout the race was extremely high, with a tight front pack fighting for the podium. Canet maintained a solid rhythm, crossing the line in ninth place and collecting valuable points for the championship.
Baltus, meanwhile, delivered a stunning performance. After a difficult start that, due to a contact in turn 1, had pushed him back to twenty-third position, the Belgian rider launched a spectacular recovery. Lap after lap, he climbed through the field, breaking into the top ten by lap 13. With five laps to go he was up to eighth, and on the final lap, after a bold overtake on championship leader Gonzalez, he crossed the line in sixth place, once again proving his talent and determination.
With both riders finishing in the top ten and showing strong race pace and fighting spirit, Fantic Racing leaves Phillip Island still leading the team standings with three rounds to go.
The team will be back on track in just seven days for the Malaysian Grand Prix, determined to keep pushing hard and fight for top positions in both world standings.
Barry Baltus: “I’m definitely happy with today. I feel we could have achieved even more, the victory was possible again today, like many times this season. But in the first corner I got hit by another rider and ended up last, or nearly last, on the first lap. I just pushed until the finish, and overall the race was really good. It’s always great to have this kind of race, overtaking so many riders. Finishing in the top six isn’t exactly what you want, but it’s better than nothing. Looking forward to the next one — the bike was again super nice, and I really enjoyed this race. I think it was one of my best of the season. Next week we have another chance.”
Aron Canet: “It was a tough day: we gave our maximum effort all weekend, but in the race we couldn’t turn our commitment into concrete results, also due to limited front-end feel. Thanks to the team for their excellent work over the weekend, and now we immediately focus on the next race, just a week away.”
Roberto Locatelli, Fantic Racing team manager: “Great race by Barry, who showed that despite the first-corner contact and being pushed wide, he executed a podium-worthy comeback. Today wasn’t a race to win, like Agius did, but Barry clearly had the pace to fight for second or third place alongside the other frontrunners. With Aron, we weren’t at 100%, and after the opening laps we stayed a bit back, observing the others. With the tires already worn, we didn’t have the chance to make another step forward or a comeback to get closer to the leading group. But we stayed focused and completed the race. We keep pushing, and our goal remains to be competitive in the remaining three races.”
