Mattia Pasini delays Fantic Moto2 wild-card after Brno crash
Mattia Pasini will miss the first of his Fantic Moto2 wild-cards following a private testing accident at Brno.
Mattia Pasini has been forced to postpone his Moto2 wild-card return with Fantic Racing after suffering a lower back injury during private testing at Brno last week.
The veteran Italian, who last contested a full grand prix season in 2018 and is now a Sky Italia pundit, was scheduled to line up for the first of three wild-cards at this weekend’s German Grand Prix.
However, his comeback has now been delayed until the following Czech round, a week later.
“I was really keen on these wild-card appearances with the Fantic team and had been working hard for months to be ready,” said Pasini, whose career includes twelve grand prix victories across the 125cc, 250cc and Moto2 classes.
“Unfortunately, during testing, I suffered a heavy crash while trying out some technical solutions that hadn’t been fully dialled in yet. I injured my lower back, and together with the team we decided it was best to skip the Sachsenring round.
“It was a big impact, and the priority now is to recover completely and be at 100% for Brno and Austria.”
Despite the setback, Pasini confirmed he will still attend the German GP weekend with Sky Italia and may shed more light on the incident.
“I will still be present during the German GP weekend, even if just behind the scenes,” he added. “I will be working with Sky Italia and might share a few more details about what happened during the Brno test.”
Team and rider are also discussing the possibility of making up for the missed race with a third wild-card later in the season.
“We will discuss it with Roberto [Locatelli, team manager] and Stefano [Bedon, project leader] to find the best solution,” said Pasini.
“Caution comes first”
While sorry that Pasini won’t be on track in Germany, Fantic team manager and fellow former grand prix racer Roberto Locatelli said, ‘Caution comes first’.
“We are truly sorry that Mattia won’t be on the grid for the German GP, but in these situations, caution comes first,” said Locatelli.
“The most important thing is to recover fully and come back strong for Brno. We’ll be waiting for him and we’re sure we’ll have some fun together.”
Project leader Stefano Bedon added: “Mattia is no longer a youngster, and every crash takes more of a toll than it would on a 20-year-old.
We are happy to have him with us, and missing a GP isn’t the end of the world. We’ll be ready to welcome him back at Brno.”
Full-time Fantic racer Aron Canet is currently locked in battle with Manuel Gonzalez for the 2025 Moto2 title, starting the Sachsenring event just five points behind.
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