Filip Salač opens up about the new season and the support of fans at Motosalon fair

Filip Salač, the only Czech rider competing in the FIM Road Racing World Championship, visited the Motosalon fair at the Brno Exhibition Centre on Saturday, March 7. Speaking on stage in Pavilion F, he talked not only about the event but also about the upcoming Moto2 season with the OnlyFans American Racing team.

Filip, you have the opening race in Thailand behind you, where unfortunately you had a big dose of bad luck. How do you evaluate the first round of the 2026 season?

I had a lot of bad luck, but at the same time I was lucky that after the crash with David Alonso I walked away unhurt. It was not a pretty accident at all. The good news is that only half points were awarded, so instead of losing 25 points to the championship leader I am only 12.5 behind. Otherwise I really enjoyed the whole weekend. It was my first race with the new team and everything worked very well. I feel at home there and I think we have a good season ahead of us. I see a lot of potential in the cooperation, and most importantly the chemistry between me and the team is very good. I enjoy the way we work together, and that is important at the start of the season.

So you feel comfortable with the OnlyFans American Racing team?

Yes, from the very first day I felt that I fit into the team. The atmosphere is great and everyone is working at full commitment. I feel supported, and that is very important for a rider. I believe that if we continue like this it can turn into a successful season.

You spent a lot of time on the bike over the winter. How did your preparation for the new season go?

During winter testing I did a huge amount of kilometres, maybe more than during the whole of last season. I gave absolutely everything in preparation because I am fully aware of how important this year is. It might be one of the last chances to show what I can really do, to show my talent and potential. That is why I wanted to be as prepared as possible and I believe the results will come.

Let’s go back to last season for a moment. When a rider knows his contract with the team is ending and he is negotiating a new one, how much does that affect your mental well being?

Quite a lot. The second half of last season was pretty demanding in that respect. We were discussing continuing with the team, but in the end it did not work out and most of the other teams were already full. It was not an easy period. In the end we managed to sort things out and that is the most important thing. Now I mainly want to focus on results.

This year you are riding a Kalex bike. How do you rate it so far?

Kalex is a very strong bike. I see a lot of potential in it, but I am still getting used to it. In qualifying new tyres are not a problem, but once they start to wear it becomes harder to work with the setup and with the weight. The bike is softer than the Boscoscuro and it behaves differently. It will take a bit more time before I fully adapt. In Thailand the temperatures were also very high, which made everything even more demanding.

Let’s return to last year’s Czech Grand Prix. How do you look back on the whole weekend now, with a few months’ distance?

For me it was probably the best week of the entire year. It was an enormous amount of stress, I barely slept and I probably signed more autographs and took more photos with fans than ever before in my life. But at the same time I enjoyed it immensely. The atmosphere was incredible and I cannot wait for this year’s race. I believe the whole event will be even better organised.

The support from Czech fans was huge. How did you feel it directly from the track?

It was amazing. When you ride past the grandstands and see the reaction of the fans, it is an incredible feeling. I remember moments like throwing my gloves to the fans after the race. I wish everyone to enjoy the race because that is one of the reasons why we do this sport. The fans are our reward and I hope I can make them happy with a good result this year.

What are your ambitions for the home race this season?

Of course I would like to achieve the best result possible. If I say winning, it is not completely unrealistic. But we are not there yet and we will see how the season develops. In any case I would be very happy if we could achieve a great result in front of the Czech fans.

Last year there was a lot of talk about the new asphalt, which you also tried on your training bike. How do you evaluate it at racing speed?

It is really a big difference compared to other circuits. When I talked with other riders, we all agreed that we had never ridden on asphalt that smooth before. I recently discussed it with my teammate Joe Roberts and he said exactly the same thing. The asphalt is extremely smooth and because it was completely new it had enormous grip. You could see it in the lap times and I think we will see even more records broken this year.

Are you preparing any special helmet design or merchandise for the home Grand Prix?

Yes, we are working on something. We will come up with an even more interesting helmet design than last year and there will also be special T shirts, this time white, because people like them and if it gets very hot the white colour will be better. Besides that we will prepare a few more interesting things. In short, we want the fans to have something really special for the home race.