Forward retains Baldassarri, Marini for 2017
The Forward Racing Moto2 team has confirmed an unchanged rider line-up of Lorenzo Baldassarri and Luca Marini for the 2017 season.
Lorenzo Baldassarri, Forward Racing
Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The Italian duo - both members of Valentino Rossi's VR46 Riders Academy - are currently 11th and 19th in this year's intermediate class standings after the first half of the season, Baldassarri taking the team's best result of the year so far at Mugello, where he finished second.
Baldassarri, who is in his third year of Moto2 competition, has had to endure dislocating both shoulders in a crash in Qatar and suffering a similar injury more recently in Germany.
"I'm really happy to continue this adventure in Moto2 with Forward Racing Team," said the 19-year-old. "Despite the problem with the shoulders, which did not allow me to express my full potential, we are getting very good results and the balance can only be positive.
"I want to fight for the podium at every race of this second part of the season."
Marini, half-brother of Valentino Rossi, took the best finish of his maiden Moto2 season last time out at the Sachsenring, where he came sixth, and is trailing Miguel Oliveira by four points in the fight for rookie honours.
"We are exactly halfway through my first season in Moto2 and I can only be happy with how it went so far," said Marini.
"I did not know what to expect from this season but being able to get some Top 10s was really great. I‘m getting to know the bike better and better and I'm growing a lot with the team.
"The sixth place at the German GP was fantastic and we will now work to finish the season on a high."
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