Month: October 2017

The sun was shining all morning at the Sepang International Circuit, but just before the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix was about to start, the forecasted rainstorms arrived. The mechanics of Reale Avintia Racing had to work against the clock to change the settings for a wet race, while the riders, Hector Barbera and Loris Baz, wondered if the bad feelings of Friday in the wet would come back again.

Baz made up his mind in the sighting lap and switched to the Michelin’s softer compound of the rear tyre, even though he knew that it would not last the whole race. But the Frenchman took the risk and it paid off, at least at the beginning of the race, where he had a great comeback that took him from 17th position on the grid to the ninth in the first lap. After a good fight with Valentino Rossi and Álex Rins, the Reale Avintia Racing rider was sixth, but on the sixth lap of the race he pushed the front too much and crashed.

His teammate Héctor Barberá tried to play it safe and preferred to start with the medium rear compound, but was left with not enough grip during the entire 20-lap race. He nevertheless managed to stay on two wheels and finally scored two points with his 14^th position.

The 2017 MotoGP World Championship concludes at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, where the Valencia Grand Prix will take place in two weeks time.

“It was a very difficult race. From the beginning, I struggled because I made the wrong tyre selection and it was like riding on ice. I decided to start with the harder tyre, the same one I used last year when I finished fourth here, but this time it was impossible to go fast. I think the track today just suited the soft compound. I also realised as early as in the warm-up lap that the bike was very stiff. During the whole race, I had very bad feeling and I just focused on finishing the race. It’s a shame, because we had a good chance to make a good result today. Now we left it for Valencia, which is the last race of the championship, my home race and also the last race with my team.”

“Finally we had a wet race and coming onto the grid with the hard rear tyre, I had no feeling, like on Friday. That’s why we decided to race with the soft, although we knew that it would be difficult to save the tyre until the end as it likely to overheat. But we took the risk and I thought that I would be able to do a few laps with confidence, attack and then manage the advantage until the end. In the warm-up lap I saw immediately that the rubber was working really well. I had a great comeback in the first lap, up to ninth place, and I had a great time battling with everyone. At least once in my life I have been able to fight side by side with Rossi…it was great! Then the tyre got very hot and I pushed hard with the front and made a mistake. I got into a corner very fast and in order to slow down more, I downshifted and then I crashed. It’s a shame, but I’m still satisfied, because it was either this or finish in the last place, struggling for all the race. “

Once again the weather played a crucial role on the opening day of practice for the Malaysian Gran Prix at the Sepang circuit. Just before FP1, a light shower left the track too damp to use slicks and not wet enough to use Michelin’s rain tyres. When the surface finally dried out, Reale Avintia Racing rider Hector Barbera got quickly on the pace and set a fast lap of 2’01.147 to finish eighth overall.

Things were more difficult for his teammate Loris Baz, who finished 16^th in dry conditions, 1.7s behind the fastest pace.

In the afternoon, torrential rain hit Sepang and the session was held in full wet conditions. Barbera started with an early crash in the last corner, when Iannone, trying to get towed by Viñales, got inside and left Hector without space. Trying to avoid a collision with the Italian, the Spaniard went straight, touching the Yamaha rider and crashing out. He went back on track and he finished 20^th, without ever finding the feeling from last year, when he was fourth in the race,.

For Loris Baz, the wet session was like a nightmare. The Frenchman wasn’t able to find the feeling to push and although he tried everything with his crew to improve, nothing worked. He was last and far away from his usual performance in wet conditions.

“It was a strange first day. In the morning, the feeling in dry conditions was very good, despite the chatter. I think the three days of testing we did in the winter were really useful for us, as the bike is the same and the settings have worked well from the start. But this afternoon in wet conditions, we had no feeling at all. As soon as I started, I crashed and then I switched to my second bike, which didn’t give me good feelings either. We will see what the weather brings tomorrow. We are okay in dry conditions, but we must improve in the rain, because the feeling in wet conditions wasn’t good today and it’s likely the race on Sunday will be wet again.”

“I’m not happy about how things went on the first day and I don’t really find the reason. In the winter testm we were much better, but nothing worked today. In dry conditions, things were more or less okay, but this afternoon with the rain, we ran into a complete disaster. I had no grip on the rear and I had big moments in every corner. We have to analyze with Michelin what is going on, because the feeling is not good at all. I’m six seconds slower than in last year’s race. Since rain ist forecasted for the race on Sunday, we need to improve.”

Reale Avintia Racing riders Loris Baz and Hector Barbera qualified in 17^th and 20^th place for tomorrow’s 20-lap Malaysian Grand Prix, in baking hot conditions at the Sepang International Circuit today.

Loris Baz did his best in Q1 and in his first time attack he managed to improve his best lap time from yesterday by 1.4s. After that he was getting even faster and had realistic options for a place in Q2, but he pushed the front of his Ducati too much and crashed out.

Things went the opposite way for his teammate Hector Barbera. The Spaniard, who was eighth fastest yesterday in dry conditions, was unable to improve his pace in Q1 and tomorrow he will start the race from the penultimate row of the grid. The only positive thing today was his race pace, so he hopes to be able to recover and score some championship points.

“Today was another tough day for us. We knew from yesterday that it was going to be hard, because we struggled in dry and wet conditions and we didn’t manage to make our bike competitive with used tyres. So we need to find a solution before the race. With new tyres, the pace is not so bad, I was able to do one fast lap at the beginning of qualifying. Then I had a great opportunity following Alex (Rins), but I went long in one corner, was deeper on the brakes than usual and crashed. It is a shame because the lap was really fast. But to be honest, the most important thing is the race and we are not ready yet. I pray for a dry race, because the wet conditions yesterday were a disaster for us.”

“Sepang is a circuit where we tested a lot and where we have good references. I’m usually fast here, but today it was really tough. It was the same story of the whole season so far: I’m fast on Friday, but then I hit a wall and it’s impossible to go faster. Today we made a big change on the bike set-up and we improved the chatter issues, but we lost in other areas, so we need to find a balance. Tomorrow the race could be wet, last year I was fourth in wet conditions, but yesterday we also struggled in the rain. We will see what the weather brings tomorrow, but dry or wet I’ll give my best to get a good result.”

Reale Avintia Racing riders head to Malaysia for the last round of the overseas triple and the penultimate race of the 2017 MotoGP World Championship this weekend.

Following a difficult weekend in Australia, Hector Barbera and Loris Baz arrive at Sepang determined to fight for a good result in the race on Sunday. Twelve months ago, Barbera and Baz finished a wet race at Sepang in fourth and fifth position. The weather forecast for this weekend is not bad, but rain can come at any time in Malaysia.

Both Barbera and Baz expect that all the information gathered at the winter test at this track will be useful to start the weekend with a strong base set-up and to be on the pace from Friday.

“Sepang is a good track for me and we have good references from the winter test that was quite positive. We have just two races left to finish the season and I would love to get a good result for my team. We need to forget Australia where nothing worked as expected and start form zero in Sepang. We have only two opportunities to succeed and I’m confident for this weekend. Last year I got my best result in MotoGP, so we’ll try to repeat it this season.”

“Malaysia is the last round of the triple. Last year the race was very good and I was fifth behind Hector in rain conditions, so we’ll see what we can achieve this time. In Sepang the rain plays always a big roll, so we have to wait and see how the weather will be during the weekend. At least it will be warm, very warm, not like in Australia were it was very cold. We will approach the weekend as usual, working hard from Friday to get the best feeling from the bike and push in every lap, not like at Phillip Island where nothing went as planned.”

Another rain shower that came down over Phillip Island stopped just before the start of the MotoGP race and the sun was shining for the 24-lap Australian Grand Prix. But although Reale Avintia Racing riders Loris Baz and Hector Barbera were confident about scoring a strong result, they lost all hopes before completing half the race distance.

Loris Baz had a great start from 17^th place of the grid, but while fighting in a big group with Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Abraham, Petrucci and Redding, he was touched by another rider and lost precious time that he could not recover in the remainder of the race. He tried his best, but stressed his rear tyre too much, lost grip and finished the race in 18^th position.

For his teammate Hector Barbera, who was 19^th on the grid, the race was even tougher. The Spaniard was missing rear grip from the second lap and although he cut the power using a different engine mapping, he was not able to put up a fight and finished in 20^th place.

Reale Avintia Racing heads now to Malaysia for the last of three consecutive race weekends, held at the Sepang International Circuit.

“It was a difficult race because we changed many things on the bike. I was able to make a good start and I was in the group with Karel (Abraham), Jorge (Lorenzo) and the others during the first few laps, where I had a really good feeling. I tried to save the tyres, but at the same time I was attacking to defend myself in that group. But then Scott Redding passed me twice and on the second occasion, he took me out and I lost contact with the group. I tried to push hard to get back, but it was impossible. I also think that I overheated the rear tyre because at the end I had no grip. Nevertheless, I finished another race and now we already thinking of Malaysia.”

“This was a strange race. On the first lap I was okay, but I think that something happened with my rear tyre, because from the second lap until the end I was sliding everywhere. I tried to change the engine mappings, but the lack of traction remained the same. Together with Michelin, we have to analyse what happened because the tyre seamed to be new after the race, which was strange. It’s a shame because I had good feeling after my strong pace in FP4 yesterday and I was hoping to score some points. Now we fly to Sepang where I expect to finish the triple with a good result for the team.”

Reale Avintia Racing riders Loris Baz and Hector Barbera will start tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix from the 17^th and 19^th place of the grid.

The second day of practice, with two more free sessions followed by qualifying, took place in mixed conditions, with a wet and cold track in the morning and full dry conditions for qualifying this afternoon.

Baz and Barbera made a step forward in dry conditions. As their positions on the time sheets don’t reflect their real pace, both riders are hopeful to recover positions in the race and continue to aim at a top ten result. If the forecast is right and it rains tomorrow, Barbera is more optimistic than Baz, as the Spaniard was eighth fastest in this morning’s wet free practice session. On the other hand, if the warm-up session is wet, Baz hopes to improve his feeling and get ready for the race.

The MotoGP race of the Australian Grand Prix is scheduled later than usual and will be started at 16:00 local time (07:00 CET).

“We have improved a lot since yesterday, but this morning it rained and we had to do all the work in FP4. In the end, we just would have needed one more lap to take another step in the Q1. All Ducati riders are struggling here and except for ‘Dovi’, it’s tough for everybody. We will see what the weather will be like in the race tomorrow. If it is dry, we have options to do well, if it is rainingm, there is much more left to do and we need to work in the warm-up to improve. We have been struggling to find our usual speed in the wet since the race in Misano and today’s wet session in the morning didn’t make a difference.”

“Today we worked a bit better. The conditions in the morning have been quite particular, but in the afternoon we improved a lot. I think if the track is dry in the race, we can get a good result. We made many changes on the bike and all have been positive, only that my fastest lap maybe fell a bit short of our expectations. But my rhythm has improved a lot and I should be able to make a good recovery during the race. I hope to enjoy riding and above all I pray for the wind to stay calm, because this is my main handicap here. If it rains I think we can do well, as we have shown in FP3. “

The Australian Grand Prix has started today at Phillip Island for the Reale Avintia Racing team riders and although both have finished towards the rear of the standings, they are confident for tomorrow and they expect to step forward and improve their positions on the grid for the 27-lap-race on Sunday.

Loris Baz finished 18th just 0.5s from the Top 10 and tomorrow he hopes to improve the set-up of his Ducati Desmosedici, with the aim to move straight to Q2. The Frenchman finished the day with a crash, fortunately without major consequences.

Reale Avintia Racing rider Hector Barbera worked hard with his crew to find the best set-up, and although his position doesn’t reflect his feeling, the Spaniard is overall happy with the first day at the Island and he is confident for tomorrow where he expects to get closer to the fastest riders.

“The first day has been a bit complicated but I think we did a good job. This morning I did not have very good feeling and we spent the whole session with the same tyres in order to reserve some for this afternoon and to keep working on the set-up of the bike. In the second session, I immediately felt better with the bike and we have tried some things to improve. I’m still not completely satisfied with the feeling I have, but I think we’re on the right way. At the end I suffered a small crash in the slower turn of the circuit and it was a shame because we could still have improved a little more”.

“It was a very strange day and I started with a rather unexpected crash. When I shifted back one gear at turn nine, the bike high-sided. The team did a great job and repaired the bike in time for the second free practice. We have tried several different set-up options and it was useful for us to get the right direction for tomorrow. We have been working with the medium rear tyre and with the soft at the end, but although I didn’t push to the maximum I think we have a good base for tomorrow. We will see how the weather will be, but if it stays as today I think we can improve a lot. “

After the rain-soaked Japanese Grand Prix, Reale Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz arrive this weekend at Phillip Island for the Australian Grand Prix. Although the circuit is one of the favorites of the riders, the weather can play a big role again this weekend, with showers, cold temperatures and strong winds predicted for the race of Sunday.

But that won’t be a problem for Barbera and Baz who head to the island motivated and eager to score a great result. The Spaniard completed a good pre-season test at Phillip Island, and at Motegi he finished in the point rankings after a very difficult weekend. Baz arrives after achieving a fantastic tenth place in Japan and the Australian circuit is his favorite one.

The Australian Grand Prix is the 16th race of the Championship and the penultimate of three consecutive races that lead the paddock from Japan to Malaysia, passing through Phillip Island.

“I like Phillip Island and I’ve been always fast on this track, but it is also a place where the weather varies a lot. Normally it is very windy, it rains and then gets dry again, the conditions change very quickly on Phillip Island and they are always a question mark. But we head there with high expectations, because the pre-season test was very good and the two points I scored in Japan last week gave me extra motivation to face the race in Australia. Although the weather can be bad, it can’t be worse than in Japan, where for the first time in my life I did not use slick tyres all weekend. I hope we can use slicks at Phillip Island.”

“What can I say about Phillip Island? It’s my favourite circuit, but it’s always very windy there and the weather is very unpredictable, so we’ll see. After the weekend at Motegi, it’s unimaginable that the weather might be even worse, only the cold temperatures and the wind can be worse than in Japan. I love the circuit layout and I enjoy riding the bike, so once again the goal will be a top 10 result. We had a difficult race there last year, but I enjoyed battling with Hector and Yonny (Hernandez) two years ago. With Superbikes, I had very good races at Phillip Island as well, so I’m hoping to get a strong result again. “

Reale Avintia Racing rider Loris Baz achieved a fantastic ‘top 10′ at the Japanese Grand Prix today in very difficult conditions. The rain had been the key player throughout the weekend at the Twin Ring Motegi, and the race was no different. Baz, starting from the ’12 + 1’ position on the grid, recovered little by little until he caught Dani Pedrosa. After a few laps he was able to pass the Spaniard to cross the finish line in tenth place. This was great work from the Frenchman and his technical team in a day where Andrea Dovizioso and Ducati won their fifth race of the season.

Hector Barbera also got his prize in Japan following a very difficult weekend. The Spanish rider struggled since Friday to find rear grip on the Japanese track, but today he was able to fight until the last lap with Tito Rabat and Scott Redding, to finish 14th and score two championship points.
The Reale Avintia Racing team now moves on from Asia to the Pacific region for the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

“Considering how the weekend started with a gap of more than three seconds to the fastest guys, the result is not bad. The first laps were very difficult, the conditions were extreme and I don’t remember ever being in a race with so much water. To be honest, being in the middle of the group was very dangerous because you could not see a thing, as far as safety goes it was right on the limit. At the beginning of the racee, I was holding back because of the visibility, but once I started to see a little more I tried to gain some positions. When I caught Dani (Pedrosa) I struggled to overtake him, but since I had no rhythm to move forward, I stayed calm until I saw the right moment to pass. I’m happy because my team did a great job over the weekend and this ‘top ten’ after several races without scoring points is a good result.”

“It’s been a pretty difficult weekend, because normally I’m a very fast rider in wet conditions, as I’ve shown on many occasions in the past. But here I’ve suffered a lot. This is a track that usually has good grip, but I couldn’t find in the three days of the Grand Prix. Maybe when it rains we are going too soft with the set-up of my bike and maybe today it would have been better to have the bike harder…I don’t know, we have to analyze the data to make sure this doesn’t happen again. 14th place is not bad after the last few races, but to be honest is not where I would like to be.”

Rain has been once again the main concern during the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying sessions today at Motegi. Although the showers had eased compared to Friday, all free and qualifying session were held in wet conditions. Reale Avintia Racing riders Loris Baz and Héctor Barbera worked very hard to improve their pace and both managed to do so.

Loris Baz will start tomorrow’s 24-lap-race from the fifth row of the grid alongside Maverick Viñales and Cal Crutchlow. The Frenchman fought until the last minutes to get in Q2, but he missed it by just 0.018s. Still, Baz is happier than yesterday and hopes to be battling for a good position in the race tomorrow.

Hector Barbera will start one row behind his teammate. Even though the Spaniard doesn’t have the best feeling in wet conditions, he expects to make another step during tomorrow’s warm-up session and to get a good result on the race.

“It’s a real shame to miss Q2 by such a small margin and I’m disappointed, because I made two little mistakes on my best lap. But if we consider how we were during the whole weekend, far from our real pace in the wet and without a good feeling, my grid position is not so bad. It’s strange because in wet conditions, Hector and myself are normally always in the top ten, but at this track nothing seems to work. We tried many things over the weekend, but couldn’t make a significant step. I was quite angry this morning after FP3, but then in FP4 we found a better way. The conditions for Q1 weren’t very good, because the track was almost dry except for two corners. That made it impossible to go out with slick tyres, but at the same time, the rain tyres overheated in these conditions.”

“It’s been a difficult weekend. Usually, both Loris and I are fast in wet conditions, but here we were struggling to go faster. My problem is that when I enter the turn, the rear slides a lot and the bike wants to highside me. We are working to solve this problem and we have improved a lot compared to yesterday. We shiftet more weight towards the front of the bike and that gives me more confidence. But even though, the warm-up tomorrow will be crucial because we still need to improve my race pace. It seems that the race will be wet. We start from the sixth row behind Viñales and he will push to catch the front group, so the goal will be to get out there, give my best and maybe stick with him for a while.”