After a four-week break, the MotoGP World Championship returns to action this weekend with the Czech Grand Prix. Reale Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz head to the Brno circuit in good shape and look forward to start the second half of the season.
There were no holidays for Hector Barbera, who was training every single day since the last race. He did a lot of cycling, motocross and also spent some days riding a jet ski. The Spanish Reale Avintia rider heads to the Czech Republic very motivated and hopes to start the second part of the championship with a strong result.
Loris Baz made the best possible use of the summer break to solve his arm pump problems. The issues with his right arm had affected his performance in the first half of the season, but are now a thing of the past. After surgery and a short rehab period, Baz confirmed the success of the treatment riding his Ducati Panigale Superbike on a track day at Valencia circuit, and also rode his motocross bike to put his right arm to the test. Like his teammate Barbera, Baz expects to be fighting for the ‘Top 10’ this weekend at Brno. The odds are in favour of the Reale Avintia riders, who both rode a superb race last year finishing in fourth and fifth position.
“I had no holidays. I’ve been training every day to get ready for the second half of the season. I improved in all areas and I head to Brno completely ready and eager to race. I hope to reward my team and sponsors with a good result for all their support, because the first part of the year has been a nightmare and nothing went as we expected. I have no doubt that in the next races we will change this situation and turn things around. I like Brno and it is a good track for the Ducati, so I’ll give my best to make sure I keep my seat.”
“The holidays were good, but too long! But I’m happy because we fixed the arm pump problems and I had enough time to recover. I’ve been testing my arm and now I have no pain any more. I was able to do some laps in Valencia with the Panigale and I also did some days of motocross and supermoto to make sure the arm is ready… and everything was perfect. I’m looking forward to start the second part of the season and see how the arm reacts riding my bike, because riding the MotoGP bike will be the real test. In the first races, arm pump has been an issue, so now without this problem and if we keep working in the same line, we can achieve great results in the second half of the season.”
