Van den Goorbergh and Baltus both score points again in challenging Japanese Grand Prix
Zonta van den Goorbergh and Barry Baltus both scored points again for Fieten Olie Racing GP in Sunday’s Moto2 race at the Mobility Resort Motegi. Van den Goorbergh managed to score points for the second time in a row by crossing the finish line in a neat ninth place, Baltus had a slightly harder time and finished fifteenth.
Van den Goorbergh made a good start and immediately moved up to twelfth place on the first lap. The Dutchman then struggled to make further steps forward, causing his rivals to start chasing him from behind. Van den Goorbergh had to fight for it but would eventually finish ninth, mainly thanks to a rock-solid final phase. With this, the 17-year-old rider achieved his second points finish in a row and moved up to 22nd position in the championship.
For Baltus, the early stages of the Moto2 race at the Mobility Resort Motegi were a lot more difficult as he was being blocked in the first corner. As a result, the Belgian fell back to 23rd position after which a lot of catching up awaited him. In the end, the 19-year-old rider scored one point by crossing the finish line in fifteenth place. This was the second time in a row that both Fieten Olie Racing GP riders finished in the points, in the championship Baltus is now sixteenth with 48 points.
Zonta van den Goorbergh – P9: “My target prior to the race was to finish in the top ten and I managed to do that with this ninth place, I’m happy with that. After a good weekend we managed to follow it up here, although we didn’t think so after Friday when things didn’t go well and I didn’t feel quite myself. In the end we turned it around nicely and had a good race. Halfway through the race I made a mistake and got into a scrap which made me fall back a bit. However, my pace was good in the second half of the race and as a result I managed to get back to the front, even creating a gap to the riders behind me. It’s a nice boost for all of us and we’ll get back to work in Indonesia.”
Barry Baltus – P15: “This was not a great day for us. To be honest I feel a bit lost on the bike and with my riding. We’re in a difficult moment after this difficult race so we need to restart again in the next race. Now we return home for one week so let’s try to reset and come back stronger in the next three back-to-back races.”
Jarno Janssen – Fieten Olie Racing GP team manager: “It was another very good Sunday for us. I can’t say anything else other than that Zonta rode a super race, hats off to him for that. Last week in India it was of course already a fantastic race but this was really one to remember. He rode on the edge against riders who give nothing away so he fought like a lion. In the end he finished ninth so we can’t help but be very happy with that result. Friday we had a pretty tough start to the weekend but we knew we were fast so it was all about putting it all together. Chapeau and congratulations to Zonta.
Barry, on the other hand, had a very difficult weekend and got stuck right after the start. He then fought his way back well and finished fifteenth but that’s not where he wants to ride, we know he belongs in the top ten as well. But we have to look on the bright side that he managed to turn a difficult weekend into a good result. We know what we need to work on and we will definitely do that for the next race in Indonesia.”
The next Grand Prix will be held at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia on the weekend of 13-15 October.