The MotoGP World Championship returns to action this weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. This weekend’s Grand Prix of San Marino will be the “12 + 1” race of the season and both Reale Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz arrive highly motivated to fight for a top ten result on Sunday’s 28-lap-race.
Hector Barbera and Loris Baz are confident they can play a starring role this weekend even though the circuit has not been the best for Ducati in the past. Since Casey Stoner’s victory in 2007, the Italian brand has not won again in Misano. Nevertheless, both riders believe that their success will just depend on how the tyres perform on the 4,226km circuit.
“In this race, I hope to get my best result so far and to fight again for a top 10 position. Although it is not the best circuit for Ducati, Misano is a circuit that I like and where I’ve always been competitive. But we will have to wait and see how things go from Friday, because this year we see that the Michelin tyres are the key. If you think that a certain bike will work well on a certain circuit, you get caught by surprise because some other bike works even better. So I hope the Ducati works and adapts well to this track and that the tyres enable us to go fast from the first day”.
“I’ve been sick with flu in the last few days, but now I feel better and I really want to get to Misano. It will not be an easy circuit for our bike, but I still think we can do better than at Silverstone. We have to work on the bike set-up from Friday and try to improve every day to get ready for the race. It is always special to race in Misano, the atmosphere is fantastic and I really enjoy how crowded it gets on race day. Unfortunately, Valentino won’t be racing this year, but I think the circuit will still be full of people enjoying a great racing weekend. “
