Category: MotoGP

Australian Mike Jones played a starring role today at the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, finishing the race in 15^th place and celebrating his first ever MotoGP World Championship point. It was only the second race weekend for “Mad Mike” in the premier class with Avintia Racing, after taking the opportunity to replace Hector Barberá, who in return enjoyed two races with the official Ducati factory Team, replacing Andrea Iannone. After a good debut with the bike and the team in Japan, 22-year-old Jones did another impressive job at home, fighting to grab one point.

Jones’ MotoGP adventure comes to an end after this weekend, as Andrea Iannone will be back with Ducati in Sepang, which means Barbera’s return to the Avintia Racing garage. The Spaniard was unlucky and crashed in the race whilst fighting for the Top 10 with local hero Jack Miller. But in the last two races riding the Desmosedici GP 2016, he gained valuable experience with the bike that he will race next season.

The Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix was a nightmare for Loris Baz. He struggled during practice and qualifying to find the best set up of his bike in ever-changing conditions. His performance in today’s warm-up session was quite promising, but after just one lap in the race, the Avintia Racing rider was forced to retire due to some electronic issues on his bike. The Ducati engineers will check all the data to try to identify the problem and make sure it won’t happen again.

MIKE JONES #7 P15

“It is an incredible feeling to get my first World Championship point in MotoGP, especially here at Phillip Island, my home track and in front of my home crowd. I’m very, very happy and very excited. It was a really great race for me. I made a big improvement in comparison to Motegi, I got a much better start and I got away with the guys at the back of the field. All in alI, I was able to gain a lot more experience and improve as a rider on this bike. On Friday and Saturday, it was difficult due to the mixed conditions and today really was the only dry day, so I just got 30 minutes in the warm-up to get ready for a dry race. It was difficult, but thanks to everybody in Avintia Racing and especially my crew, I was able to learn quick and adapt to the bike. This weekend has been good, and all I can say is thank you!”.

HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 DNF

“It was a difficult race, because I was only able to lap in the dry in this morning’s warm-up and so for me all the race settings were completely new. After the start I made a recovery that took me into the group with Redding and Petrucci fighting for seventh place, but three laps from the end I made a mistake trying to pass Miller: I went too long, finished on the grass and crashed. It was really a pity, because today I tried to do my best, but it wasn’t sufficient. Again I’d like to thank Ducati, my team Avintia Racing, and everyone who gave me this chance. I didn’t have much luck but now I must look ahead and try and do better in the next two races”.

LORIS BAZ #76 DNF

“Overall the weekend has been tough for me. The first two days, the weather was crazy and we couldn’t really work on the set up. After the warm-up today I had some good expectations, as my pace was quite encouraging. But then we had some electronic issues and my race was finished after just one lap. It is a real shame because today I had the pace to fight for a top 12 result. Now I have to forget this weekend and think about Sepang, where I want to score a good result to boost my confidence ahead of the final round in Valencia.”

Avintia Racing started the Japanese Grand Prix with high expectations, as Hector Barbera was rewarded for his good season and rode injured Andrea Iannone’s Desmosedici GP inside the official Ducati Team. After qualifying eight yesterday, Barbera was aiming at a good result in the race today, but he lost the front in turn one on the ninth lap, when he was fighting with Pol Espargaro for the seventh place. He picked the bike up and finished the race, but without any options for the point rankings. Next week in Australia he will have another chance to show his potential with the factory team.

The race was not easy for Loris Baz either. He started from the back of the grid and although he improved his pace and reduced a gap of three seconds with Hiroshi Aoyama to just 0.8s on lap 19, he had to realize that he still isn’t in his best physical condition after two consecutive injuries. Finally, he was not able to fight for the championship point that seemed within reach in the battle with the Japanese rider. On positive result from this race is the fact that Loris got his confidence back, right in time ahead of the next race at Phillip Island, one of his favourite tracks where he did a great winter test.

Mike Jones, who got the opportunity to replace Barbera this weekend, finished his first race in MotoGP. The 22-year-old Australian got 18^th place and was really happy with the experience he had in Motegi. “Mad Mike” will ride Barbera’s bike at his home race in Phillip Island.

HECTOR BARBERA #8 P17

“For me it was a fantastic opportunity to ride the 2016 Desmosedici GP and race for a factory squad like the Ducati Team and so I want to thank both Ducati and Avintia Racing for giving me this opportunity. For me it was all new: in fact, I didn’t know either the bike or the guys in the team, but after every session the situation improved a lot. Unfortunately in the race I was not able to get a good start, especially because the clutch is very different to the one I normally use, and I immediately lost two positions. I took a bit of time to pass Petrucci and then I caught Pol Espargaro, who I tried to overtake several times, until I tried with even more decision and unfortunately I crashed. I feel bad about it because I think that today I could have finished in fifth or sixth place. In any case I picked the bike up to finish the race, but in the crash the two wings had broken off and I was no longer able to ride it well. However it was a great experience and I am very happy that I have been given another chance next week at Phillip Island.”

LORIS BAZ #76 P16

“I got my confidence back during the first ten laps. But when I’m riding the bike I feel that I’m on the limit, and then I see the lap times and I’m far away from the pace. One positive thing from today is that I gained a better feeling and my race pace was better than ever this weekend. Negative is that we are still far from where we should be. I also realized that my physical condition is not at 100%, because when I caught Aoyama, I had no more energy left. Now we go to Phillip Island, a track I love and where I was fast during the winter test. I’ll have some days to relax and train before the race, so I hope to improve and to be competitive again.”

MIKE JONES #7 P18

“I’m very happy and I can’t believe the experience of finishing my first ever MotoGP race. It was fantastic to be part of the Avintia Racing Ducati team this weekend. They worked so hard to help me learn so much, but definitely I gained more experience through the race. My start wasn’t very good. We tried a practice start in the warm-up this morning and I felt really, really good, but we changed the clutch for the race and when I went to do the race start it felt different, so I really struggled with the start. Once I got going, I tried to follow the guys in front of me, but I had a few small problems and I couldn’t get the bike stopped like in qualifying. But I just wanted to finish the race, no matter how, and I did it. I really want to thank Avintia Racing and Ducati for this opportunity and I hope to do it better at Phillip Island.”

Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz finished 13^th and 18^th in a really difficult race for all Ducati riders. The lack of grip has been the main concern during the weekend, with the engineers trying to find the solution every day, without success.

Hector Barbera finished the race in the same position he started, but he was forced to recover during the 23 laps of the race, after touching with another rider in the first lap and dropping back to the last place. In the last two laps, he won an intense battle with Eugene Laverty and took three championship points to keep tenth place in the point rankings.

His teammate Loris Baz returned to action this weekend after missing the race at Misano. Avintia Racing’s French rider knew that the race was going to be really tough in his physical condition, but he has shown a big determination to finish the race and he got a vast experience before heading to the triple flyaway races, which will start in three week’s time with the Japanese Grand Prix.

HÉCTOR BARBERÁ #8 P13

“It was a difficult weekend and our main handicap was the lack of grip on the rear tyre. We tried to find more grip over the three days, but it was not possible. During the race I’ve been sliding all around the track and, without traction, the bike was not fast on the straights. Pirro touched me on the first lap and I was blown off the track. Then I had to recover during the race and it was difficult, but I don’t think the result would have been different without that incident. I hope Michelin will bring some new tyres for the next races, because all Ducati riders had the same problem here. It’s not normal to see Dovizioso just four seconds ahead of us.”

LORIS BAZ #76 P18

“It was a tough race from the first lap to the end. My target was to finish, to gather some data and to take this race as a training session. We finished far, almost twenty seconds behind Hector. He was one second per lap faster than me. I’m not physically fit enough to finish a race or even half a race riding these bikes, so today we did something positive. Now I have to work hard during the next two weeks, train with the bicycle and do some specific work for my leg. I’ll try to go to Japan, Australia and Malaysia in the best possible shape, because I love two of these tracks and I think it will be possible to get good results.”

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 13^th 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.”

The British Grand Prix weekend started bad for Avintia Racing and finished in the same way. On the first lap of the race, Loris Baz suffered a scary crash in turn two, when he touched with Pol Espargaró, and the race was red flagged. The French Avintia Racing rider lost his conscience and was evacuated in an ambulance to the Silverstone circuit medical centre. Fortunately, any serious injuries were ruled out after the X-Rays, Baz escaped from the crash with nothing more than a sprained right ankle. Tomorrow, he will have a head scan at the Geneva hospital in Switzerland, to make sure he has no concussion after the heavy impact. If everything is fine, Loris will be back on track next week at Misano.

Hector Barbera finished the race, but not in the position he would have liked to. He never was comfortable riding his bike during the weekend, and although he was twelfth in the final stages of the race, he lost two places in the last two laps and finished 14^th.

A weekend to forget for Avintia Racing, but the whole team is now looking forward to the next round of the MotoGP World Championship which will take place next weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

HECTOR BARBERA #8 P14

“This weekend was a complete disaster. It was one of the most difficult weekends of my career. I was not comfortable riding the bike, I had no feeling and as a consequence, I never found the right confidence to push. Silverstone is a circuit with a lot of grip and I don’t know if it is my riding style or whatever else it could be that I never felt comfortable. I can neither learn nor take any other positive experiences with me from this Grand Prix. The race was also mentally tiring, because if you ride in such a poor way, the result is a disaster as well. We all had a frightening moment with Loris and the most important thing today is that he is okay!”

LORIS BAZ #76 DNF

“Up until the race, this weekend had gone quite well. I was very confident for the race and the crash was a really pity because I could have done well. When I arrived at the second turn, I was running parallel with Pol and just about to overtake him, but then the guys in front of us braked very early, especially Petrucci. I pulled over to the right a bit in order to avoid a collision, but Pol entered the turn from the outside and we touched. After banging into him, I don’t remember a lot of what happened. I woke just before getting into the ambulance. I don’t remember the crash itself, but the consequences could have obviously been worse because it looks pretty bad. I have a sprain in the foot that I was operated on, but they did an X-ray and I there is nothing broken, even though it hurts when I put pressure on the foot. The most important thing is that Pol, who also doesn’t have any fractures, and myself are all right. It was a race incident that shouldn’t have happened, but this corner is quite narrow. I don’t think I did anything stupid!”

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.”

The treacherous conditions at the Sachsenring circuit prevented Hector Barbera and Avintia Racing from taking a great result in the MotoGP German Grand Prix today. After grabbing second place on the grid yesterday in dry conditions, Barbera showed during the morning warm-up session that he would be also competitive in wet conditions. After the start of the race, he was able to confirm the good feeling from the morning in the wet, and he was battling in the leading group. When the track started to dry, he pushed even harder to get second position behind Andrea Dovizioso and ahead of Valentino Rossi. With seven laps to go, Hector came into the pits to change his bike, and although his pace was also competitive in mixed conditions, he lost some precious positions and finished the race in ninth place. This is certainly still a good result, but a little bit bitter-sweet after fighting for the podium. All in all, the first half of the season was really positive for Barbera and Avintia Racing, with the Spaniard seventh in the standings and leading the Ducati squad.

Expectations were also high for Loris Baz before the race, as he showed a really good pace during the morning warm-up. But Avintia Racing’s French rider failed with the tyre selection for rain conditions, and once more when he changed bikes, so he was forced to stop again in the pits. Baz eventually finished 17^th, and the positive part of his return weekend is that his foot was not a problem during the race.

Barbera and Baz will now move to Spielberg for a two-day testing session at the Red Bull Ring, venue of the Austrian Grand Prix on August 12^th to 14^th.

HECTOR BARBERA #8 / @HectorBarbera P9

“It was a crazy race, but at the end we were unlucky. After 15 laps the track dried out really quick and I always struggle in mixed conditions. While it was wet, I did my maximum and we were in really good positions, but then, when I changed bikes, it was not so positive. In the first lap I lost too much time getting the feeling, and the pace of the guys who changed before was much faster. Finally, I lost many places. Overall it was a positive race, we were closer than ever to the front, and the team did a fantastic job during the weekend. Yesterday we took second in qualifying and today we battled until the end of the race. It was a shame because we were not able to show our potential with a good result, but ninth is not so bad. We were competitive on the wet and also in the dry, so it’s just a matter of time to get an even better result. Now we go into the summer break seventh in the championship and ahead of the rest of Ducatis, so we must be happy”

LORIS BAZ #76 / @lorisbaz P17

“The race was a disaster from the first to the last lap. The track was supposed to wet more, but it dried out. We didn’t have the best front tyre for these conditions and I had to take many risks because I had no corner speed. I went in to change the bike, but after one lap I felt that it was not possible to run the rear slick, so I stopped again to change for an intermediate. Then I realized that the track was drying more and maybe the slick was the best option, but the track conditions were changing so quick, that it was not possible to make the right choice. At the end my pace was not bad, but I already lost two laps and it made no sense to take any risk. The only positive today was that I had no pain in my foot riding the bike, even though right now the pain returned. Now we go to Austria for testing, and I hope to learn something that can help us in the second half of the season, because the first half was the worst one of my career”.

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.”