Author: Xavi Andornet

Expectations for the Spanish Grand Prix were high after the great performance showed by the Avintia Racing riders during qualifying practice. But the higher temperatures today changed the track conditions completely and Hector Barbera was not able to fight for a better result and finished the race in tenth place. It is certainly a positive result still and well within the targets set by the rider and the team, but not enough to make Hector happy after his strong pace during practice and qualifying. Nevertheless, the Avintia Racing rider leaves Jerez  with eighth place in the championship standings, only five points behind the fifth. After four races, he still is the best Ducati rider.

For Loris Baz, once again the race was not easy. Like at the last race in Texas, another rider hit him on the first lap, and although he managed to stay on his bike this time, he dropped back to last place. But the young Frenchman made a great recovery to finish the race in 13^thposition, taking championship points for the second race in succession. In two weeks he’ll race at home and he hopes to finish higher up.

HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 / @HectorBarbera P10

“This was a very difficult race. The weekend had been almost perfect and we did a great job so far, which makes this tenth place a little disappointing. The track condition changed completely for the race and from the second lap onwards, I struggled with the traction control that was cutting too much power. I tried all the mappings I had for the race, but non of them worked and, even leaned over, the bike was cutting power, so I was losing time on every corner exit and I was not able to attack in the braking points. I was not comfortable riding the bike and I’ve been fighting the whole race. We continue adding points and this is the most positive, and despite our problems, we are still in the top ten. To be honest, our real position is between fifth and tenth, but we have to go one step back with the electronics, because we changed something in Argentina and it’s clear that it doesn’t work.”

LORIS BAZ #76 / @lorisbaz P13

“Today it was important to finish the race, but once again I was close to crashing on the first lap, when Redding blew me off the track. When I came back I was last, and on the next lap, I made a mistake and I went wide again. I lost too much time and with these two problems, I had to change my race strategy. We chose the soft front tyre and the plan was to save it during the first part of the race with  a full tank, but I was forced to recover and the tyre was really bad at the end, so the last few laps were very difficult. Positive is that we took three points and we learned a couple of things that we will change for the next races. The season started here for us and I want to use this experience to get a better result at Le Mans.”

The Avintia Racing rider, Hector Barbera, finished in fifth position in a dramatic flag to flag race with a mandatory safety stop to change bikes after the tyre problems experienced by Scott Redding on Saturday free practice. Barbera did a great start from the eighth place of the grid and was in the leading group from the beginning of the race, and after changing bikes in the ninth lap, he was fighting until the last lap with Pol Espargaro. In the final lap they overtook each other many times, and after some riders crashes, Barbera won the battle to his fellow countryman to see the chequered flag in fifth place. A great result after a difficult weekend with flu and fever attacks.

Barbera’s happiness contrasted with the disappointment of Loris Baz. After a great start from the fifth row, the Avintia Racing French rider was ahead of his teammate when they stopped to change bikes, but a rear tyre problem that produced some vibration and a lack of grip, forced him to stop. Big shame for Baz who had the pace to fight with Barbera for the top five.

The MotoGP World Championship heads now to the United States for the third round of the year at the Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas, the next weekend.

HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 / @HectorBarbera P5

“I’m very happy because overall, this was a really strange weekend, but finally the hard work gave us a price. This morning I felt really good on the wet during the warm up, but then the race was held in the worst conditions for me, with the asphalt half wet, half dry. Under these conditions I always feel tense and when I was on the grid I knew the race was going to be hard. Jarno, my crew chief asked me to try, because it had no sense to be on the back, I did it and it worked. I immediately realized that I was fast and I was gaining confidence lap by lap. In the first half of the race I was battling with my teammate Loris, and then with Pol. On the last lap we overtook each other several times and we went long in one corner. Laverty came into the battle and he took the fourth place in the last corner. But overall, and after a difficult weekend, this fifth place is a great result.”

LORIS BAZ #76 / @lorisbaz DNF

“I’m disappointed and very frustrated, because were doing a good race today and fighting to be the best private bike inside the top 10 in the first part of the race. Before changing bikes I was seventh, but then nothing was working. I almost crashed in every corner during the first two laps and I don’t really know what happened. But it had no sense to continue like this, so I went back to the garage. It is the second time in my life that I retire in a race, but I could not ride the bike in this conditions. When I watch the race I get more angry, because today we had the chance to finish fourth. The only positive is that we race in Texas next weekend.”

Avintia Racing rider Hector Barbera finished ninth after a hard 21-lap-race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas today. He improved lap by lap from the 14^th place of the grid to be fighting for the seventh position with Pol Espargaro and Michele Pirro. But he had a big moment in the final laps that put him out of the battle, but this was still a positive result and the third top ten in succession for the Spanish rider.

Loris Baz had a great start from the third lane of the grid but he suddenly crashed out on the second lap after another rider touched him in the first turn. The French Avintia Racing rider went back on track with his bike damaged, but he managed to bring it home in 15^th position and get his first point of the season after crashing in Qatar and retiring in Argentina.

Overall the start of the MotoGP World Championship has been positive for Avintia Racing, with Barbera always in the top ten and sixth in the standings before heading to Jerez for the Spanish Grand Prix in just two weeks time.

HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 / @HectorBarbera P9

“This was a difficult weekend and every day was getting more complicated. Maybe I came here with high expectations after the fifth place in Argentina, and I think this was not good for us, because during the whole weekend I didn’t work as I had to. So we arrived at the race today eager to race, but maybe with some unfinished homework. This is a very physical circuit and I suffered with my forearm; after five laps I had a lot of pain. Finally I could make up the weekend with another top ten finish and, although this is not relevant, we are the first Ducati and sixth in the standings after three races.”

LORIS BAZ #76 / @lorisbaz P15

“I did a good start and I was in the right group, but on the second lap, when I was passing Bradl, someone came from the inside and hit me. I tried to lift the bike, but I crashed. I don’t know who did it, I hear maybe Bautista, but this is racing. It was difficult to finish the race without shifter, one centimetre footpeg, and damaged swingarm, but I did it for my team and my mechanics after such a good weekend. It was hard and I had some pain in my shoulder, but even though, my pace was not so bad.”

The riders of Avintia Racing had a difficult weekend at Mugello. Héctor Barberá and Loris Baz had arrived with high hopes and lots of anticipation at the Grand Prix of Italy and the home track of Ducati, but from the first day, things didn’t go the way as planned and Sunday wasn’t any different. Héctor Barberá finished the race in twelfth position and took some valuable points again, but was outside the top ten for the first time this season. Nevertheless, the Spaniard defended his eighth place in the world championship classification.

Team-mate Loris Baz ran into bad luck when he was taken out by another rider in the first corner of the race. In the incident, Baz suffered multiple fractures and dislocations in his right foot and will have to go undergo surgery in Switzerland next week. After the examinations in the circuit hospital, Dr. Xavier Mir, Medical Director of MotoGP, confirmed that Loris suffered dislocations of the five metatarsophalangeal joints in his right foot, and diaphyseal fractures of four toes in the same foot. While Baz was still in the circuit hospital and under anesthesis, the dislocations were set and on Tuesday, he will be operated in the hospital La Tour at Meyrin/Geneve, where Dr. Finn Mahler, director of sport medicine, will insert plates to fix the multiple fractures in his right foot. At the moment, it is unclear whether Baz will be able to start at the upcoming Grand Prix of Catalunya. Everything will depend from his recovery after the surgery.

HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 / @HectorBarbera P12

“This was a weekend to forget. Everyday things got more and more difficult and we were not able to show our real potential. I don’t know if its good or bad, but my crew chief says that I have to realize that we are racing with a two year old bike, and we are doing the same lap times that the factory team did in the past. It’s difficult to go more on the limit than the factory team and we have reach the same lap times or even improved them. It’s clear that my rivals have better machinery and to beat them in fast tracks like this is almost impossible. At the end of the day, we finished another race and we still the best Ducati in the standings, something that we could not even dream with when we started the season. We can’t do more with the bike we have and I think that the team and myself deserve to have a chance, because we always want more.”

LORIS BAZ #76 / @lorisbaz DNF

“The race was incredible short for me. I did a good start but it was a lot of traffic on the inside and it was difficult to overtake in the first turn, so I decided to get the outside line, but suddenly someone hit me and I crashed. From the first moment I realized that my foot was broken. I got fractures on the second, third, fourth and fifth metatarsus, and a displacement on the first one. I got set the first one at the circuit medical centre and I will go to the hospital at Geneve on Tuesday to fix the rest. I don’t know How long will take the recovery because is a difficult place and can swell a lot. I will follow the doctor instructions because I don’t want to come back soon and take risks for the next races. More than the race I’ll be disappointed if I can do the test on after the race in Barcelona, because I really need it.”

Avintia Racing rider Hector Barbera was very optimistic for today’s Catalan Gran Prix after his fantastic fourth place in qualifying yesterday. The start was not great and he lost some places during the first lap, but when he started to find his pace, the rear tyre started to lose grip and he had to fight with his bike in every corner until the end of the race. Barbera crossed the line tenth, but afterwards was penalized with one place because he cut the new chicane on the last lap. The positive result of this race is that the Spaniard is still eight in the World Championship standings after seven rounds.

Michele Pirro, who was replacing Loris Baz in Barcelona after the injuries sustained by the French rider at Mugello, suffered the same grip problems as Barbera during the race. Ducati’s test rider finished the race 15^th, but he thinks that working a little bit more with the electronics the GP14.2 has the potential to fight for the ‘Top 10’ in every race.

Hector Barbera will have a one day test tomorrow in Barcelona and he hopes to find something that will help him to battle for better results in the next races.

HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 / @HectorBarbera P11

“This is not the result I was expecting today after what we achieved yesterday. The race was very difficult because of the tyres and after six laps I had no grip at all, the bike was spinning a lot and the traction control was working everywhere. In these conditions the bike was not working like yesterday and I had to slow my pace. The lack of grip was increasing lap by lap and the bike became unrideable. I was patient and I tried my best to get the bike back to the garage, but I was more than five seconds slower compared with yesterday. We’ll try to find something in the test we have tomorrow, but I think that we need some help from Michelin.”

MICHELE PIRRO #51 / @pirrorider P15

“The race was really difficult because I had no grip and the rear was spinning a lot. With this problem, it was impossible to get a better result. I also lost some time in the first few laps and with the lack of grip the race became more difficult. We knew that it would be difficult, but I expected a better result today. I want to thank the team for this race again, we worked really well during the weekend. Overall I think that working more on the electronics, the package has the potential for ‘Top 10’ finishes in every race.”

Después de lograr el cuarto mejor tiempo en los entrenamientos cronometrados del sábado el piloto de Avintia Racing, Héctor Barberá comenzaba el Gran Premio de Catalunya con las expectativas muy altas. La salida no ha sido perfecta y en la primera vuelta ha perdido varias posiciones, pero cuando ha comenzado a coger ritmo, el neumático trasero ha sufrido un bajón de rendimiento y al final ha tenido que luchar con su moto para terminar la carrera. Barberá ha cruzado la meta en décima posición, pero ha sido penalizado con un puesto tras saltarse la chicane en la última vuelta. Lo más positivo es que el piloto español sigue octavo en la clasificación provisional del campeonato después de siete citas.

Michele Pirro, que en Barcelona ha cubierto el puesto de Loris Baz quien sigue recuperándose de las lesiones sufridas en Mugello, también ha tenido los mismos problemas de agarre que Barberá. El piloto de pruebas de Ducati ha cruzado la meta 15º, pero cree que trabajando un poco más en la electrónica la GP14.2 tiene potencial para estar luchando por el ‘Top 10’ en cada carrera.

Mañana Héctor Barberá tendrá un día de test en el que espera poder encontrar algo que le permita luchar por mejores resultados en las próximas carreras.

HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 / @HectorBarbera P11

“Este resultado sabe a poco después de lo bien que lo hicimos ayer. Ha sido una carrera muy complicada porque pasadas seis vueltas el neumático no respondía y el control de tracción se activaba continuamente. En esas condiciones la moto no iba como debía y automáticamente he tenido que bajar el ritmo. Lo peor es que la falta de agarre ha ido a más y ha llegado un momento en el que la moto era inconducible. He sido paciente y me he marcado como objetivo llevar la moto de vuelta al box rodando cinco segundos más lento que ayer. Mañana en el test intentaremos buscar soluciones, pero creo que necesitamos ayuda de Michelin para mejorar.”

MICHELE PIRRO #51 / @pirrorider P15

“Ha sido una carrera muy difícil porque no tenía nada de ‘grip’ y la rueda trasera iba patinando todo el tiempo. Con este problema era imposible hacer nada más. Además he perdido mucho en las primeras vueltas y después todo se ha complicado más. Sabíamos que sería difícil pero la verdad es que esperaba un resultado mejor. Quiero dar las gracias otra vez al equipo porque hemos trabajado mucho y bien durante el fin de semana. En general creo que la moto tiene potencial para estar en el ‘Top 10’ en cada carrera, pero hace falta trabajar un poco más en la electrónica. ”

Después del gran rendimiento de los pilotos de Avintia Racing en los entrenamientos cronometrados, las expectativas para el Gran Premio de España eran muy altas. Pero la subida de temperatura con respecto a los días previos ha impedido a Héctor Barberá pelear por estar más arriba y finalmente ha cruzado la meta en décima posición. Un resultado positivo y que entra dentro de los objetivos del piloto y del equipo, pero que sabe a poco después de su gran actuación en los entrenamientos libres y cronometrados. Aun así el piloto de Avintia Racing sale de Jerez octavo en la clasificación provisional a solo 5 puntos del quinto y se mantiene como la mejor Ducati después de cuatro carreras.

Para Loris Baz tampoco ha sido una carrera sencilla. Una vez más ha sido embestido por otro piloto en la primera vuelta y, aunque no se ha caído, ha vuelto a pista en la última posición. Pero el joven francés ha ido remontando para terminar 13º y sumar puntos por segunda carrera consecutiva. En dos semanas llegará a su gran premio, donde espera poder estar más arriba.

HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 / @HectorBarbera P10

“Ha sido una carrera muy complicada. El fin de semana había sido muy bueno y hemos trabajado muy bien, por eso éste décimo puesto nos sabe a poco. Han cambiado mucho las condiciones de la pista para la carrera y desde la segunda vuelta he tenido muchos problemas con el control de tracción que iba actuando en exceso. He probado todos los mapas, pero la moto cortaba hasta yendo inclinado y no conseguía salir fuerte de las curvas, con lo que en las frenadas no podía atacar. No he estado a gusto encima de la moto y he ido todo el rato peleándome con ella. Lo más positivo es que seguimos sumando puntos y, hoy yendo mal hemos terminado décimos. Siendo honestos nuestra posición es del quinto al décimo, pero tenemos que volver atrás, porque en Argentina tocamos algo en la electrónica y está claro que no funciona.”

LORIS BAZ #76 / @lorisbaz P13

“Hoy lo importante era terminar, pero una vez más casi no lo consigo. En la primera vuelta me ha tocado Redding y me he salido de la pista, cuando he regresado estaba el último, pero cuando empezaba a remontar he cometido un error y me he vuelto a ir largo. He perdido mucho tiempo y con estas dos salidas de pista he tenido que cambiar la estrategia que teníamos para la carrera. Al montar el neumático blando delante había que conservarlo en las primeras vueltas con el depósito lleno, pero al tener que remontar lo he castigado mucho y las últimas vueltas han sido muy complicadas. Lo positivo es que hemos sumado tres puntos y hemos visto muchas cosas que hay podemos mejorar en las próximas carreras. La temporada ha comenzado aquí para nosotros y en Le Mans espero poder aprovecharlo para lograr un mejor resultado.”

Fin de semana muy complicado para los pilotos de Avintia Racing en Mugello. Héctor Barberá y Loris Baz llegaban con muchas ganas al Gran Premio de Italia, la casa de Ducati, pero desde el primer día las cosas no han ido como estaban planeadas y el domingo no ha sido muy diferente. Héctor Barberá ha terminado la carrera en duodécima posición y ha vuelto a sumar puntos, pero por primera vez esta temporada ha quedado fuera del Top 10. Aun así el español mantiene la octava posición en la provisional del campeonato.

Peor suerte ha corrido su compañero Loris Baz, quien tras ser alcanzado por otro piloto en la primera curva ha sufrido varias fracturas y luxaciones en el pie derecho y tendrá que pasar por el quirófano esta semana en Suiza. El Director Médico de MotoGP, el Dr. Xavier Mir, ha podido confirmar tras los exámenes llevados a cabo en el hospital del circuito que Loris tiene luxación metatarso-falángica de las cinco articulaciones del pie derecho, además de fractura diafisaria de los últimos cuatro dedos del mismo pie. Bajo anestesia general se ha procedido a la reducción de las luxaciones en el mismo circuito y el martes será intervenido por el Dr. Fin Maiher en el Hospital de la Tour de Ginebra para fijar con placas las fracturas en su pie derecho. Su participación en el Gran Premio de Catalunya dentro de dos semanas está en duda. Todo dependerá de su evolución tras la operación.

HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 / @HectorBarbera P12

“Ha sido un fin de semana para olvidar. Cada día se ha ido complicando y no ha habido forma de conseguir sacar todo nuestro potencial. No sé si es bueno o malo, pero en especial mi técnico me dice que piense que nuestra moto tiene dos años y hemos rodado en los mismos tiempos que el equipo oficial con esta moto. Es difícil llevar la moto más al límite de lo que lo hace un equipo oficial y nosotros los hemos igualado e incluso a veces lo hemos mejorado. Es obvio que mis rivales cuentan con mejor material y estar por delante de ellos en pistas rápidas va a ser difícil. Hemos terminado otra carrera, que es lo importante y seguimos como primera Ducati algo que parecía imposible antes de empezar la temporada. Más no podemos hacer con lo que tenemos y creo que tanto el equipo como yo nos merecemos una oportunidad, porque un piloto siempre quiere más.”

LORIS BAZ #76 / @lorisbaz DNF

“La carrera ha sido muy corta para mí. He hecho una buena salida, pero no había muchos huecos para adelantar en la primera curva y he decidido quedarme por fuera, pero me han golpeado por el interior y me he caído. En ese mismo momento he sentido que me había roto el pie. Me he fracturado el segundo, tercero cuarto y quinto metatarsos y desplazado el primero. Aquí en el circuito me han colocado el primero y el martes iré al hospital para que me operen en Ginebra. No sé cuánto tiempo tendré que estar sin subirme a la moto porque es una zona complicada y se puede hinchar mucho. Seguiré las recomendaciones de los médicos porque no quiero arriesgar a perderme más carreras. Pero lo que más me fastidia es perderme el test del lunes en Barcelona, porque lo necesitamos mucho.”