Kalex rider Salac and the “almost perfect Moto2 weekend in Austria”

Czech rider Filip Salac remains in the spotlight. Following a disappointing 2025 season on the Boscoscuro Moto2 bike with Marc VDS Racing, things are going much better for him with the American Racing team. His team-mate Roberts, who was supposedly rated higher, is now in the shadow of the new signing. The Silverstone GP winner is not disappointing at the Red Bull Ring either.

Having taken first place in qualifying for the opening race on Saturday, Salac went on to secure pole position – and claimed the lap record in the process. When it came down to winning on Sunday, Salac could only manage second place, though this was still a dream result for both rider and team, as the frustration over the technical failure whilst battling for third place at the San Marino GP was still fresh in their minds.

Defensive tactics

The latest performance by rider number 12 was also remarkable because he dropped back immediately after the start. Both Izan Guevara and Ivan Ortola had slipped past him. Salac then found himself stuck in third place almost until the halfway point. The reason, according to Salac: “At the start, the bike didn’t feel quite right with a full tank, and I didn’t want to ruin my tyres right at the beginning – and I didn’t want to take any risks at that stage anyway.”

Later, the 24-year-old admitted his plan had been a mistake: “I’m annoyed that I didn’t go all out right from the start, because by the time I’d passed Ivan (Ortola), the gap to the front was already too big.” That’s right – Guevara managed to stay in the saddle whilst pushing hard and pull out a lead of over two seconds over Filip Salac, who had been running in P2 since lap 12.

When the leading group crossed the finish line, the gap was still 1.7 seconds, and following his pole position on Saturday, the fastest lap of the race now went to the Spaniard at Boscoscuro. Salac: “It’s amazing that Izan is fighting for the World Championship title on this bike and has done such a good job here with the tyres too – that says a lot.”

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Beim Österreich-GP hatte sich Salac die Pole-Position erkämpft

Foto: Gold and Goose

Salac, however, gratefully accepted the result, despite high expectations: “After finishing top in free practice and qualifying, you might think it’s a disappointment – but the opposite is true. I’m very happy for myself and the team after the last disappointment.”

Salac has left a number of Moto2 heavyweights behind him

Thanks to 20 points, he moved up the World Championship standings to 7th place. Hardly anyone would have thought it realistic, but Salac is comfortably ahead of Moto2 stars such as Celestino Vietti, the Fantic riders Baltus and Canet, Öncu, Arbolino and even his pit neighbour Joe Roberts.

Filip Salac had even greater ambitions. “After the retirements, it’s unrealistic to talk about the title, but there are still plenty of races to go and the stated aim is a top-five finish.”