Navarro replaces injured Barry Baltus at Assen and the Sachsenring

During Friday’s Moto2 qualifying session in Brno, Barry Baltus suffered a heavy crash at Turn 13. The Belgian was even unconscious for a few seconds and was subsequently taken to hospital. Examinations revealed that Baltus had suffered a dislocated left shoulder and a tendon injury in the crash. After spending the night under medical observation, the Fantic rider returned to his team at the circuit on Saturday. However, he was forced to watch from the sidelines for the rest of the weekend.

It has now been confirmed that Baltus will also miss the Grands Prix at Assen and the Sachsenring. Jorge Navarro will take his place on the grid for the next two race weekends. “We wish Barry all the best and look forward to having him back with us as soon as possible.

At the same time, we are delighted to welcome Jorge to the team for the Grands Prix in the Netherlands and Germany,” said an official statement from Fantic Racing.

Navarro was dropped by Forward Racing

Jorge Navarro is therefore set to get a new chance in Moto2 this year. At the start of the season, he was still racing for the Forward Racing team. At the French Grand Prix in Le Mans, the Spaniard then had a crash in which he broke his right ring finger. The young Xabi Zurutuza was named as his replacement. The stand-in rider immediately became the new regular rider alongside Alex Escrig. And Navarro was let go through the back door due to a lack of success – without any official announcement from the team.

The 30-year-old Navarro, who has secured two GP victories in the Moto3 World Championship so far in his career, can make a fresh start on the Kalex bike – at least for two race weekends.