Moto2: Roberts fends off Baltus for victory in Brno
Moto2: At the venue where he claimed his debut Moto2 podium in 2020, Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) returned to the top step for the first time this season with a phenomenal Czech GP victory.
The American fended off the hard challenge of Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) as the Belgian pockets back-to-back P2s ahead of the summer break, with Manuel Gonzalez’s (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) P3 seeing the Spaniard stretch his title chase lead.
After things got close at lights out between polesitter Baltus and Roberts, it was the American’s teammate Marcos Ramirez who grabbed the holeshot as drama unfolded for Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) at Turn 1. The Spaniard was down from the middle of the pack and that was his hope of points over.
Baltus pinched the lead of the race at the end of Lap 1 with a great move at the final corner, as Ramirez took the first of his two Long Lap penalties on Lap 3. That dropped the #24 to P7 behind home hero Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), and when he took his second, Ramirez was P12.
On Lap 6, both Canet and Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) had parked their Triumph-Kalex machines, handing Gonzalez a fantastic chance to stretch his points advantage ahead of the summer break. And it was the Spaniard who was shadowing the P1 battle between Baltus and Roberts, with the Californian making a move stick on Lap 7 to lead in Brno.
By Lap 10, Roberts and Baltus were now pulling clear of Gonzalez, with the #16 setting the fastest lap of the race on that lap – a 1:59.4 played a 1:59.6 for Baltus. With five to go, the gap was still just 0.2s between the American and Belgian, but that rose to just under 0.4s with four laps left.
Gonzalez was 2.6s away from the victory fight, so it was all about Roberts vs Baltus. With two laps to go, Roberts was keeping Baltus at bay by 0.5s, with the latter not able to quite get close enough to attempt a pass. Tthen it was last lap time. The gap? 0.6s in Roberts’ favour. Baltus wasn’t close enough to engage in battle, and for the first time since the 2024 Italian GP, Roberts gets back on the top step. Baltus clinched his fourth second place of the season to rise to P3 in the overall standings, and Gonzalez collected a very handy 16 points in his quest for the Moto2 title.
Rookie Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) earned an impressive P4 ahead of Celestino Vietti (Sync SpeedRS Team), with Izan Guevara (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) a solid P6 in Brno. Ramirez strung together an impressive race following his double Long Lap penalty to beat Salač to P7, with the Czech star ending his home GP in P8.
David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) and Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) were the final top 10 finishers, while Sachsenring podium finishers Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) end their Brno weekends with a disappointing P11 and P12.
Roberts wins again, Baltus comes close, and Gonzalez strides to a 25-point championship lead heading into the summer break. Austria next, see you there.
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