Month: August 2016

Expectations were high for Avintia Racing ahead of the Czech Republic Grand Prix. Hector Barbera showed his speed as early as Friday and confirmed his grat shape yesterday, securing a second row grid position with the fifth fastest lap time. Loris Baz was 17^th and on the sixth row of the grid, but with rain forecasted for the race, he was quite optimistic. The forecast proved to be true and the Frenchman was third fastest in the Sunday morning warm-up. The rain then stopped just before the MotoGP 22-lap-race, which made the tyre choice crucial.

Hector Barbera made a good start and when he got the pace, he began to overtake riders and moved up to second place. But ten laps before the end, he felt something was not working well on his bike. Although there were vibrations and a lack of power, he managed to finish the race in fifth position, but it would have been possible to get an even better result. Starting from the rear of the grid, Baz waited until a dry line appeared on the track, and after recovering many positions, he passed his teammate to secure a fantastic fourth place. This result confirms that Avintia Racing took the right decision signing a new contract with Baz for 2017. It’s also a big boost for his confidence ahead of the last seven rounds of the championship.

Loris Baz and Hector Barbera gave Avintia Racing the best team result in MotoGP, and they also were the best Ducati riders at Brno, celebrating a dream weekend for the Spanish team.

LORIS BAZ #76 P4

“We rode a great race and we took the right decision with the tyre choice. As I’m heavier than the rest of the riders, I always have to use harder compounds, and before the race we decided for the hard rear wet tyre, which was perfect. You never know if you took the right decision because you never know if the rain comes back. But we recovered from the rear step by step and with some more laps, we could haven even gone further. I think we needed more experience with this tyre, the bike was a little bit hard and it was difficult to overtake the other riders. But I’m extremely happy and this is the best way to thank the team for the new contract for next year. I was also looking forward to get a good result to dedicate to Luis Salom, and finally we did it”.

HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 P5

“I’m happy because we did a good race. After 12 laps, I had a technical problem and I had limited performance from the bike during the last ten laps. I tried to do the maximum to stay at the front, I saved the tyres, I was riding really smoothly, but I finished the race with some difficulties. Anyway, I’m happy, because every race we get closer, and sooner or later, we’ll get the result we deserve. I want to say a big thank you to the team, because they made this possible. Big congratulations to Loris, I’m really happy for him, because he’s a good rider and an even better person, and he needed this result. To be honest, the season started to turn really difficult for him. I always support him, I encourage him, but when you get inside a hole, the best way to get out is like he did, with a good result”.

 

 

 

Avintia Racing leaves Spielberg with a bittersweet feeling after the Austrian Gran Prix today. Hector Barbera was on the fourth row after finishing tenth on qualifying yesterday. He did a fantastic start and was sixth on the first corner. But happiness finished soon, and after watching he did a jump-start, Race Direction sanctioned him with a Ride Through. Barbera didn’t see his pit-board and, the signal display lights on his bike, where he can see the messages from Race Direction was not working, so he continued in the race. But finally he got black flagged and was forced to go back to the garage.

Barbera was disappointed, but Baz today was happy after scoring three championship points. Is not too much, but after his injury and the previous bad results, this was a boost of confidence for the Avintia Racing French rider. He was last on the grid and finished 13^th, but the most important is that he got his feeling back. In the last laps after a good battle, he passed Tito Rabat.

Next weekend the MotoGP World Championship heads the Czech Republic, where Barbera will have the chance to recoup his error, and Baz will continue building his confidence.

LORIS BAZ #76 / P13

“Yesterday we started to get some feeling back, and also my confidence with the bike. But this morning we tried something in the warm up and it worked quite well. During the race I was focussed to push hard and it worked quite well. But during the first ten laps the front was blocking in every straight braking point, so I was forced to slow my pace. But then I was able to push again because the front tyre was working, and I gave my best to catch Tito. We had a similar pace, but I did less mistakes in the final laps and I was able to pass him. My physical condition is not at 100%, but soon I’ll be fine. The main thing is that we found our way, now we have to keep this momentum in the next races and try to fight with Hector to be in the top 10.”

HECTOR BARBERA #8 / Disqualified

“It was a shame because I didn’t see the ride through. It seems that my bike display had a problem and the white light was not working; I was trying to see that information, but it never came. I neither saw my pit-board until the lap before I stopped, but it was too late. I’m disappointed because I was doing the best race of the season, but now we can’t change it and we must think in the next race. My start was on the limit, I think I didn’t start before the red lights turned off, but maybe I released the clutch a little bit. But if Race Direction watched it, for sure I moved. I want to say sorry to my team, because we did a great job during the weekend, and today we were set to get a good result.”

Avintia Racing takes great pleasure in announcing that Hector Barbera and Loris Baz will continue with the team in the 2017 MotoGP World Championship. Hector Barbera already showed his level during the first half of the season. After nine races, he is the best Ducati rider and seventh in the standings, riding a Desmosedici GP14.2. Next year will be the fifth season for the Spaniard with Avintia Racing and thanks to his good results, he’ll have a Desmosedici GP in 2017, the same bike that the factory riders are using this season.

2016 has been the first season for Loris Baz with Avintia Racing after battling with Barbera in 2015 for the Open Class title. Although he didn’t get good results so far, the Frenchman showed his potential during the winter test and the first races of the season. The team is convinced that he is capable of fighting for Top 10 results, and next season, with a better package, he’ll have the chance to demonstrate his skills.

HECTOR BARBERA #8

“I’m very happy because I think that we have shown a big progression over the last few years. In just three seasons, we managed to move from twentieth place to seventh in the standings, and we achieved this with an old bike. The team and I grew together over this period of time, so I’m extremely happy to sign a new contract for next season, especially because we’ll finally have a competitive bike, and we will be able to fight for something big. I have a really competitive team, we are like a big family and everybody is always looking for perfection. We help each other and that’s why we have grown so much together. Raul always has big dreams, he is ahead of the future, and without his passion, the experience of Bocha and the support from Antonio, all this wouldn’t be possible.”

LORIS BAZ #76

“First of all I want to say big thanks to the team for offering me another opportunity, because with the poor races we had so far, ninety per cent of the teams would have decided to sent me back home. But Avintia Racing showed that they trust me and gave me another chance. I also think that during the winter tests and the first few races I showed that I’m not so slow. Now we need to try to get back to that point and try to be as competitive as Hector. The fact that my future is now decided takes a lot of pressure from me, because after my injury it was not easy, so I want to thank Raul, Bocha and Antonio. I feel really good with the team and I think we can show more than what we have seen so far. I got injured in the worst moment of the season, but they always supported and reassured me to take the pressure off. I hope to be able to return the favour with some better results in the last nine races of this season, and even results again in 2017.”

AGUSTIN ESCOBAR #TEAM MANAGER

“We are really happy to continue one more year with Hector and Loris, because they are good riders and even better persons. We have a professional team, but at the same time we are a big family, so that’s why we want to continue together next season. Hector is already showing his potential, and I think Loris can get the good feeling back that he had during the winter tests and show that he has more speed than what he had so far this season. I’m sure that next season, with the new bikes, both will get better results. I also want to thank Ducati for they support and I hope to reward them with great results.”