Avintia Racing scored a bitter-sweet result at the Grand Prix of San Marino. Hector Barbera’s performance had been quite positive over the weekend, but the bad feeling he had during the first part of the race forced him to settle for 13th place. Barbera scored three valuable MotoGP World Championship points today, and he is currently tenth in the standings with just five rounds to go. Next round will be in Aragon in two weeks time, where he is determined to get back into top ten positions.
His maiden debut in MotoGP has not been easy for Xavi Fores, who raced at Misano replacing Loris Baz. After 16 laps he was forced to retire due to arm pump issues in his right forearm. He struggled during the weekend to get used to the carbon brakes and a completely different bike to the one he rides in WSBK. This together with the mental tension made racing difficult for him. Baz aims to return to action in Aragon, but his comeback depends on a speedy recovery.
HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 P13
“It was a really difficult race. The feeling during the first laps was not good, and I was not able to brake well because the suspension seemed to be too soft for dry conditions. The front end was closing everywhere, and I was close to crashing twice and I had to support the bike with my elbow. But then, as the fuel got less, the feeling came back and my pace was faster. The problem was that after losing too much time in the first five laps, the group with Bautista, Petrucci and Bradl was too far away. The only positive thing this weekend is that we found back to the right direction and the way we used to be before Silverstone. Now we need to focus on the next race which will be on home soil.”
XAVI FORÉS #12 DNF
“My start was quite good, but from the second lap I felt a lack of grip on the rear tyre compared to the rest of the weekend, and my pace in the race was slower. With that feeling, it was hard to ride the bike and I had to be more aggressive on the brakes, which stressed the front tyre too much. But the worst part was the arm pump in my right forearm. I had two big moments because the front was closing, and my lines got wider and wider, so I decided that the best decision was to stop, as it was getting dangerous. It was a difficult weekend, but at the same time I enjoyed riding the Desmosedici a lot. If I got a new chance in the future, I would be able to get a better result with the experience I gained this weekend with the bike and the team. I want to thank the team for this opportunity, because it was an amazing weekend.”
