Barry Baltus finished second in Losail on Sunday in the Qatar Grand Prix, the opening round of the Moto2 World Championship. The nineteen-year-old from Liège finished just 55 thousandths behind the Spanish winner Alonso Lopez and was on the podium for the first time after his 64th Grand Prix (50 in Moto2, 14 in Moto3). Sergio Garcia was the second Spaniard, 742 thousandths behind his compatriot, to complete that podium.
Baltus opted for soft tires and that turned out to be the right strategy. He moved from sixth place on the starting grid to second place. He also came very close to Lopez, but he barely held on. Xavier Siméon, the fastest at the Sachsenring in 2015, remains the last Belgian GP winner.
The Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimao (Algarve) is the next stage in the championship on March 23.