Baltus claimed his first-ever Moto2 pole position in a closely fought qualifying at the Brno Automotodrom. With track limits, yellow flags, and a few crashes shaking up the grid, Baltus edged out Roberts by just 0.020 seconds. By securing the top spot for Sunday’s race, he secured a new track record at the Czech circuit as well.
Q1: Track limits shake up the order
The early pace-setters in Q1 were Holgado, Moreira, and Baltus, though the session quickly turned tricky. Moreira lost his early lap time due to a track limits violation after running wide in Turn 9. That temporarily dropped him out of contention.
Surprisingly, Alonso remained one of the few riders without a time on the board deep into the session. As expected, most riders pitted for tyre changes — many opting to swap just the rear — before returning for a final push.
With just three minutes remaining, Moreira crashed in Turn 10, bringing out yellow flags at a critical point in the session. With no valid lap time and a pit lane start penalty already in place, his day ended in frustration.
In the closing seconds, the battle for the top four Q2 spots intensified. Ultimately, Baltus, Arenas, Holgado, and Ortola advanced to the second qualifying segment.
Q2: Baltus and Roberts battle for pole
As the track temperatures rose and the sun blazed down on the Brno circuit, Q2 began with intensity. However, just a few minutes in, Turn 10 struck again — Canet crashed and brought out another yellow flag in sectors 3 and 4. With his bike unable to restart and emotions running high, the marshals had to help the angry rider behind the barriers.
Meanwhile, Baltus continued his impressive form from Q1 and , topping the timing screens with González slotting into P2 behind. Most riders returned to the pits for fresh tyres with around eight minutes left in the session.
Though Canet’s crew worked quickly, the clock was against him. He rejoined the track with only two minutes left, too late to complete a full out-lap and begin a flying one.
As riders pushed for their final time attacks, Baltus cleverly used Roberts as a human shield, gaining a slight tow that helped him edge ahead by just 0.022 seconds. The lap not only secured him provisional pole but also set a new track record taking it away from the American. Local hero Salač crossed the line shortly after, but his lap was only good enough for P9, a slight letdown for the home fans. Roberts improved again on his final lap, but still came up short of Baltus’ time.
In the end, it was Baltus, Roberts, and Ramírez who locked out the front row for Sunday’s race.