The Italian Tony Arbolino, leader of the Moto2 championship, and the Briton Sam Lowes, eighth overall, are racing this year in the colors of Marc VDS. Salač will replace Lowes in the team. The Czech rider is sixth in the World Championship standings after eight races out of 20.elf

“It’s the realization of a big dream, because Marc VDS is one of the best Moto2 duo. I watched them in the past when they were fighting for the world championship title with Alex Marquez or Franco Morbidelli. For example, Jack Miller also rode in the team, just because of his name, he is a top rider,” Salač said in the Autoklub ČR press release.

The Marc VDS Racing team was founded and owned by Marc-Oswald van der Straten-Ponthoz, the heir to the Stella Artois brewery.

“My objectives will be clear. To acclimatize quickly and to fight regularly for the top positions. The team has the greatest experts and great technique,” he added.

“We know what is in Filip and we will be happy and proud to bring all our experience to help him reach the top. I’m sure he will give everything to achieve the best possible results under our colors,” team owner van der Straten told the team’s website.

Salač is riding for Gresini for the second year and has so far battled with him in the Moto2 class this year and last year for a second place finish. In his first season in the Intermediate Championship class, he scored points in half of twenty races, finished in the top 10 four times and took second place in Thailand. He finished the year in 20th place.

This year, he is already following the elite. He finished six Grands Prix in the top ten, and at Le Mans he repeated the second place for life, which he had obtained the previous year in Moto3. It was only in the last race that he didn’t score, in Assen at the end of June, he didn’t reach the finish line.