Jorge Navarro will be making his return to the Moto2 starting grid in the next two Grand Prix races, scheduled for Assen and the Sachsenring. The Spanish rider will join the REDS Fantic Racing team to replace an injured Barry Baltus, who's currently recovering from an accident that occurred during Pre-Qualifying in Brno.
The Belgian rider dislocated his left shoulder and injured his tendon, so he's currently scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery on Monday and won't be able to compete for at least two races. As the team recently announced, a specific date for Baltus’ return hasn't been set yet. His return to racing will be determined after his recovery is carefully monitored over the upcoming weeks.
So, while the Fantic team waits for its rider to return, Navarro will get the chance to partner with Tony Arbolino in the Netherlands and in Germany. For the 30-year-old rider from Spain, this will mark both his return to the intermediate class of the MotoGP World Championship—after he parted ways with the Forward Racing team in June 2026—as well as his return to riding a Kalex for the first time since 2024, when he competed in the last three rounds of the season with the American Racing team, replacing an injured Joe Roberts.