Team Aspar Preview

Spanish GP

Hector Barbera of Aspar Team

Photo by: Hazrin Yeob Men Shah

Barbera Thinks Jerez Will Suit His Ducati

‘At Jerez we always give more, thanks to the support of the fans.’ The traditional war cry of the armada of Spanish riders set to descend on their home circuit this weekend is sure to be heard on several occasions and in all corners of the MotoGP World Championship paddock over the next few days. The Jerez circuit is known as ‘The Cathedral’ of Spanish motorcycling and this weekend it will play host to the second round of a new season that got underway just two weeks ago. The weekend schedule reverts to a more traditional structure this weekend after the alterations in Qatar, where Casey Stoner confirmed his preseason form with a dominant win. The home riders will need all their strength to defend their territory on Sunday.

Enthusiastic, confident, motivated and full of energy, MAPFRE Aspar rider Héctor Barberá makes the trip south from his native Valencia to Jerez this week looking to build on the excellent form he showed during practice in Qatar. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to carry it through to the race but this is a circuit close to Héctor’s heart and he knows his Ducati will be well suited to the fast corners here, so he will be fully focused on the job at hand when practice begins on Friday as he looks to seal a positive result on Sunday.

Héctor Barberá:
“The Spanish Grand Prix always has a special flavour to it and with this being our first race in Spain this year I am extra motivated. I want to put Qatar behind us. Practice there went perfectly but the race didn’t. We have a lot of experience behind us now and I think we can carry it through to the race this time. We know our potential has improved drastically from last year and that we can perform at a high level. As far as I am concerned I will keep giving my all every time to close the gap to the lead riders. Jerez is a circuit that I think will suit our bike, especially in terms of its acceleration. It also has a lot of fast corners and that is what I love, as well as being one of the strong points of the Ducati.”