Month: May 2017

Reale Avintia Racing riders completed a positive two-day-test at the modified Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit today. Hector Barbera and Loris Baz were able to test again the new Michelin front tyres that will be introduced in the championship from the next round, and both riders declared them selves satisfied with these two testing days in Barcelona.

Barbera continued working on his front feeling and he confirmed the positive feeling he had in the three laps he was able to complete during last Sunday race at Le Mans. The Spanish rider did a race simulation today and he finished the test with a best lap time of 1’44.469, only 0.4s from Jorge Lorenzo, the fastest Ducati at Montmelo today.

Loris Baz did 135 laps over the two days and he tried different solutions that during a race weekend are impossible to evaluate. Some of those tests were positive and, above all, the French rider was able to get the feeling with the new Michein front tyre. Baz also did a race simulation with positive conclusions.

This test was useful because the riders had the chance to work towards the Calatan Gran Prix that will take place at this track in just 16 days time. But before, the Reale Avintia Racing riders will head Tuscany, for the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello.

“This two days of testing in Barcelona were really important because I feel very strong riding my bike. At Jerez we did a big step forward, but we were not able to confirm at Le Mans due to the weather conditions over the weekend and the problem we suffered during the race. But here at Barcelona I felt good immediately with the bike and we improved even more my feeling with the front. We tested once again the new Michelin front and although the allocation is not the best for the race, we got a lot of positive information. Now we have to train hard for Mugello, where I hope to show that we are back on the pace.”

“It was a really positive test and we were able to test many stuff on the bike. Some of the test worked out, some not too much, but would be useful at other circuits. Overall it was a good test for us. It was also positive for Michelin as they were able to get information to keep working towards the race here at Barcelona. I got a good feeling with the new front and this is also a big positive. Today we completed a race simulation and my pace was okay. So I leave the test very happy. Now we have to recharge batteries before we’ll have four races in five weeks.”

MotoGP racing enters one of the most intense phases of the season with four races in five weeks. The Italian Grand Prix this weekend is the first of these four and Reale Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz head to Mugello highly motivated following an encouraging test at Barcelona. On the Spanish track, both riders improved the feeling with their Ducati and the new Michelin front tyres that will officially be introduced this weekend in Mugello.

The first races of the year didn’t meet the expectations of Barberá, but the Spanish riders hopes that the Italian Grand Prix will be a turning point for the better.

His Reale Avintia teammate Loris Baz also hopes for a good result on Sunday, because this would mean a head-start into this most challenging part of this year’s calendar in which the MotoGP World Championship tours to Mugello, Barcelona, Assen and Sachsenring in just five weeks.

“We head to Mugello in a confident mood. Our test last week at Barcelona was really positive which was a big boost to my motivation. The start of the season has been really tough for us, but I believe that we finally found the right way, and I look forward to confirm our progress at Mugello. The first five races were like a nightmare, and now we have to start from zero on a track I love.”

“The most serious part of the season starts at Mugello, as we have four races in just five weeks. This will be a crucial month, but we have all reasons to be optimistic because things are going well and we have a good feeling with the bike. Our plan for Mugello is to maintain our momentum and to keep working well from the first pracice session on Friday in order to find the best settings for the race as early as possible. I like the circuit and Mugello is always good for Ducati, so I hope to get a strong result and bring home some championship points.”

Reale Avintia Racing riders had mixed fortunes today at the French Grand Prix on the legendary Le Mans circuit. Loris Baz finished his home race in a fantastic ninth place after a really tough race in which only 15 of 23 MotoGP riders crossed the chequered flag. The local hero knew before the start that it would be crucial to finish the race today and even though he didn’t find a solution for the issues with the front end feeling on his Ducati Desmosedici GP15, he got the best out of his package to achieve a top 10 finish.

Following a successful warm-up session, Hector Barbera did a great start from the seventh row of the grid, with the Reale Avintia Spanish rider gaining several places. He was in 15^th place after three laps, but his Ducati stopped at the beginning of lap four due to a mechanical issue. But despite this bad luck, the most important thing today is that the feeling with the front end definitely has improved.

Barbera and Baz will now head to Barcelona for a two-day test, where they will work with the new front tyres that Michelin will include in their allocation from the next race. They will also concentrate on refining their Ducati’s set-up in order to get strong ahead of Mugello, one of the most favourable tracks for the Italian bikes.

“We knew before the start that the key today was to bring the bike back to the garage. We were not able to solve the front end issues during the warm-up. But I made a good start and I tried to keep the best possible pace without making mistakes. I lost some time at the beginning trying to overtake Pol (Espargaro) because he was slower than me, but he was strong on the brakes and the KTM is quite good in acceleration. Once I passed him, I concentrated on keeping my pace and I was able to catch Iannone. We overtook each other several times and at the last pass, we both went wide. I’m happy with these seven points because we scored them on a circuit that is difficult for us. I leave this race satisfied; you can always do better, but today it was important to finish the race and score points.”

“We were unlucky today. We think that something broke inside the engine. I only was able to complete three laps, so it is hard to get conclusions from this race. On the bright side, I was a little bit more aggressive at the start and I was able to gain some places, which is something we can’t do very often. After that I could pass some more riders, but in the fourth lap my engine stopped on the main straight. I also confirmed during the warm-up and during the few laps in the race that my feeling in dry conditions is much better now. During the test at Jerez we made a big step and now I can push the front. It’s just a shame that the results don’t reflect our progress yet. Now we head to Barcelona where I hope to improve my feeling with the front even more and where I want to get ready for Mugello.”

Finally the sun was shining today and even though there were still some wet patches during the FP3 session, the MotoGP riders were able to test the new surface of the Le Mans new surface in dry conditions during the last free practice and the qualifying sessions. Reale Avintia Racing rider Loris Baz gave his best this morning and got the maximum from the mixed conditions to get through to Q2. After several fast laps, Baz finished ninth. He crashed in qualifying fighting to improve his lap times and he will start his home race tomorrow in twelfth place from the fourth row of the grid.

Reale Avintia Racing teammate Hector Barbera was not able to get into the second and final qualifying session. Although he finished tenth in Q1, he is optimistic about his pace for tomorrow’s 28-lap-race after a strong FP4.

“This morning everything went really well and we went straight to Q2. We knew that FP4 was going to be very important, because it was the first dry session of the weekend. But we had a small issue with the second bike and we were not able to get back on the track again. This forced us to start qualifying with something we did not test before on the front and it did not work. I went out again and my feeling was not great, but I tried to do a fast lap anyway and I crashed. Tomorrow we need to test another solution during the warm-up and this will be the key to be able to do a really good race or just a normal race.”

“My position in qualifying was not the best, but at least I got a bit closer to the front runners. I finished just 0.4s from Lorenzo and very close to Petrucci, so I think that we have made a little step forward. The feeling with the bike has been better and I think this is due to the improvements made at the Jerez test. I still lack confidence, but I have a better feeling for the front. I want to say big thanks to my team, especially to my crew chief Jarno, and all the people that are supporting me because they never stopped believing in our ability to overcome our problems and make a decisive step. I want to reward them with a strong race tomorrow, because my pace in FP4 was quite competitive.”

The weather forecast for the first day of free practice for the French Grand Prix was correct and it started to rain today at the Le Mans circuit. The 45 minutes morning session started in fully wet conditions, but the new tarmac dried out quite quickly and Loris Baz was the first rider to make the change for Michelin slick tyres on his bike. The Reale Avintia Racing rider obviously improved his lap times to hold second place in the final minutes of the session. He finished within the top group of riders, showing once again that he is one of the best MotoGP riders in mixed conditions. In the afternoon, it didn’t stop raining throughout the session and Baz finished 12^th overall.

It was not the best day for Hector Barbera, who came to Le Mans looking forward to confirm the positive feelings from the recent test at Jerez. The Spaniard did not use Michelin slick tyres in the morning and finished 21^st. In the afternoon in fully wet conditions, he worked hard to find a better feeling, but to no avail. If the weather forecast is correct again and it stays dry tomorrow, the Reale Avintia Racing rider expects to confirm the progress achieved at Jerez.

“The first day here at Le Mans was good, even though the conditions were a bit strange. This morning, the track dried up and we were the first team to change for slick tyres. But we didn’t take a lot of risks, we just pushed enough in order to be within the fastest group for Q2, just in case it was going to rain in the afternoon and on Saturday morning again. All in all we did a good job. In the afternoon, we did many laps in the wet and we tried to improve the feeling with the bike, which aren’t as good as last year. We made a big step forward and I am happy with what we achieved. Now we have to wait and see if the track is dry tomorrow so we can prepare ourselves for the race on Sunday”.

“It was a difficult day. After the good feeling that I had during the test at Jerez, I didn’t expect these difficulties. Maybe it was due to the weather conditions that I didn’t find back to this feeling that we are looking for with the bike, because rain conditions always amplify this kind of problem. There is no doubt that I lacked feeling for the front end again and that I wasn’t able to push the way I would have liked to. In the morning, we didn’t change for slick tyres and we finished the session lower than usual in the classification, but in the wet afternoon session, my feeling wasn’t exactly great either. It looks as if it’s not going to rain tomorrow, which would be good for us. Our aim is to get the maximum out of each practice run and to recover the good feeling with our bike.”

Reale Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz head to Le Mans this weekend for the fifth round of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship. The Grand Prix of France is the home race for Loris Baz, who looks forward to a good result and to celebrate with his home crowd at the legendary French race track. He was not happy the last time out at Jerez, but he improved his feelings with the bike on the Monday test after the race and he is determined to fight for a good result at home.

Le Mans is the home race for Loris, but his Reale Avintia teammate Hector Barbera also arrives at the French circuit highly motivated following a positive one-day-test at Jerez. The Spanish rider recovered his feeling for the front end after modifying his riding position on his Ducati Desmosedici GP16 and he expects to confirm this positive feeling with a good result this weekend.

The 4.185km track has been completely resurfaced over winter, so Friday will be crucial for the riders to evaluate the grip level of the new tarmac and to fine-tune the set-up of the bikes in order to achieve the best possible performance.

“We head to the Grand Prix of France in a positive mood after finding the right feeling with the front during the Jerez test. I think that the track characteristics will suit our bikes even though we have to see how we perform on the new asphalt. The most important thing for me is the step we made to get a better feeling, because this weekend we have the chance to turn things around. The first few races have been really tough and I struggled too much with front end feel, but in Jerez we modified the bike and now I’m able to push harder and ride faster. I think we found the right direction and I hope we can confirm our progress at Le Mans.”

“A home race is always special and it is exciting for me to race in front of the massive crowd coming to this Grand Prix. It is a great feeling. Obviously, I will have more commitments and distractions over the weekend, since all my sponsors will come to Le Mans and I will be very busy shaking hands and talking to supporters and friends. It will be crucial to manage my time over the race weekend and to stay focused. The weather forecast for the weekend is good and the track has been resurfaced, so all references will change. Jerez was not the best race weekend for us, but Le Mans is different and it features hard braking areas, which is my strongest point with this bike. I hope to give my home crowd a reason to celebrate on Sunday.”

Reale Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz completed a positive day of testing today at Jerez circuit. Barbera and Baz worked in the set-up of their bikes and test last season’s Michelin front tyre with stiffer carcass, that the whole MotoGP grid evaluated today at the Andalusian circuit.

The Spanish rider had very positive feelings, but not only with the tyres, mainly with the set-up and riding position changes made by his team to improve the lack of feeling with his Ducati Desmosedici GP16. He completes 60 laps with the fastest in 1’39.460, finishing the day 8^th in the time sheets.

His teammate Loris Baz has focussed with his team on solving the problems he suffered with his Desmosedici GP15 during the Spanish Grand Prix race, and he concentrated in this year front tyre, with which he has better feelings.

Next week Reale Avintia will head Le Mans for the French GP, the fifth round of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship.

“It was a positive day and I leave Jerez really happy. Today we finally found the good direction to get my feeling back and be comfortable riding my bike. At the end of the day I put one soft rear tyre and I did the best lap of my life at this circuit. The feelings are coming back and this is the best news of this test. Maybe we are not at 100% yet, but we are closer and this makes me very optimistic. We also tried the front Michelin bought here and I liked it, but the most important thing was the riding position changes, because I did the same lap times with both front tyres.”

“We did a really good job today when the track temperature was higher and using the same tyres from the race. We have found a solution to the problems we have had over the weekend. We also tested the front tyre that Michelin has brought, but I did not like it very much, I do not have the same feeling as with this year’s one. Overall it was a very positive practice day and I leave Jerez much happier than I finished the race yesterday. Now I have to work hard to prepare for my home race at Le Mans.”

Reale Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz finished 21th and 13^th in the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez today. The result has been far from the expectations of riders and team, but following a tough weekend with a start from the seventh row of the grid, it was still encouraging to get some points and to finish just few seconds from the top ten.

Baz did a great start from 19^th place of the grid and rode some strong laps at the beginning to climb to 11^th place. Hector Barbera also gained a lot of places in the first half of the race and battled with his teammate and with Scott Redding throughout the race. The final five laps were really exciting to watch, with both Reale Avintia riders fighting for twelfth position until the last corner of the last lap.

Barbera and Baz will remain at Jerez tomorrow for a crucial day of testing.

“We could say that we made a little step forward in the race. The most important thing this weekend is that I started to get some feeling with the bike. I had feedback from the front end, which boosted my confidence. I think that we have started to find the right direction and I feel more comfortable on the bike. Two races ago it was impossible for me to stay with Redding or even with my teammate Loris, but today I was with them the whole race. Tomorrow we stay here for testing because we really need to work to tame this bike. The last few laps fighting with Loris had been fun, I like to fight with him and, although you have to be more careful because it is your teammate, I really enjoyed the battle.”

“We knew that the race was going to be tough because we tried something this morning and it did not work, so we went back to yesterday’s settings. I had a good start and gained some places. Then I tried to hold my position as long as possible. To be honest, I was surprised during the first eleven laps, because the bike was working well. But when a number of riders crashed, I also almost lost the front several times and I decided that it was crucial to finish the race. In the last five laps, I had nothing else up my sleeve and Scott overtook me. Then I had a good battle with Hector. Some of the passes were close, but I had a lot of fun. It’s a shame not being able to be closer to the front, but today the target was to stay on the bike until the chequered flag.”

Reale Avintia Racing riders Loris Baz and Hector Barbera will start tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix from the seventh row of the grid after qualifying in 20^th and 21^st place today.

Loris Baz finished the day quite angry because he was not able to recover the good feeling he had during the private test in November where he was second with a best lap of 1’39.184. Obviously, the track temperature was not the same and Michelin introduced new tyre compounds since then, but Baz still expected to be stronger in the 15 minutes qualifying session today. He now will test some modifications during the warm-up session and he is confident to score points in tomorrow’s 27-lap race.

Although it does not reflect in his grid position, Hector Barbera ended the day with quite positive feelings following the drastic changes made last night on his Ducati Desmosedici GP16. His team worked to modify his riding position on the bike to improve the feeling with the front, which was his biggest nightmare since the season started. He expects to confirm these positive feelings tomorrow and build his confidence for the future.

“Today was a difficult day for me. The bike is really hard to ride and we are still missing one second from the pace we had during the winter test here. The feeling is a problem when I try to push harder, the bike does not want to turn and it has been tough so far. We will see if we can improve during the warm-up, but I don’t know if it will be enough to have the pace to avoid being at the back of the field.”

“This was a tough session. We modified the set-up of the bike, but I don’t get feedback from the front tyre. Since I got on this bike I’ve never been comfortable. This morning we changed my position on the bike and I started to get a better feel for the front end. I hope this change will make a difference for the race result. We will never give up. We have already bottomed out and from where we are now, we can only go up. I want to say big thanks to my team and to my sponsors for there work and mainly for understanding this situation.”

Reale Avintia Racing are pleased to announce the sponsorship agreement with Motul Tech. Raul Romero, Esponsorama CEO, and Stephane Mathieu, General Manager of Motul France, signed the contract at the Spanish Gran Prix yesterday.

The Motul Tech logo will be part of the livery of the Reale Avintia Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP bikes. It will also be displayed on the riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz at all the circuits around the world.

Motul Tech is the special division of the French Industrial Product company. It develops high performance industrial fluids and lubricants in France and all over the world, to sell them on the world markets.

“We are pleased to join Reale Avintia Racing as a sponsor and to work with their riders Loris and Hector. In Motul, we share the values and fighting spirit of this team, and that’s why we think that this agreement is another step to consolidate our relationship with MotoGP. We welcome Reale Avintia to the Motul Tech family and I hope we can achieve great goals together.”

“To get the support from a brand like Motul Tech is really important for us. More than anything else, I hope that this agreement will be the start of a long partnership. The team is growing year by year and I’m convinced that with the Motul Tech sponsorship, we are heading towards an even better future.”