Hector Barbera completes his first outing with Pramac Racing at Valencia test – MotoGP news
The Spanish MotoGP rider, Hector Barbera successfully completed the two-day post race test at Valencia, Spain.
It was Barbera’s first outing with Pramac Racing.
He scored eighth position on both test days. His best lap time for day one was 1 minute and 34.174 seconds which he improved on the day two by half a second.
Barbera was formerly racing for Mapfre Aspar team, while riding satellite Ducati GP11. He endured a tough season. He also suffered from a collarbone fracture during the season.
He finished the 2011 season in 11th place after finishing the season finale event at 11th position. The test session was held for 1000cc machines at the Ricardo Tormo circuit.
Barbera said, “These two days have been full of work and we weren’t looking for the fastest lap time, more for the innovations that Ducati has brought to the bike. My sincerest compliments to them because they have done a great job. The bike is very powerful
although there are still a few things to work on.”
The Spanish rider conducted his first test aboard a 1000cc Ducati Desmosedici GP12. The next MotoGP outing is planned in late January.
The complete test session was dominated by Repsol Honda duo, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. The third rider on the final time sheet was Ben Spies of Yamaha Factory Racing.
The Spaniard added, “We encountered a few problems but the bike is very competitive. The engine is fun, very different from the 800cc we were using this season, and I think this could be something which will favour my riding style.”
He faced a technical problem with his GP12 that halted his further testing in the day. The last two hours were wasted due to the same reason.
The engineers analysed the technical data collected from the test session to diagnose the technical issue.
The new Bridgestone tyres were also put on test with the 1000cc bikes. The tyres are better than the previously used slicks. He also thinks that there is still a margin for improvement.
His injured shoulder still hurts during the tough riding conditions. However, he still managed to deliver his best performance on the track.
The inter-season break will help him to rehabilitate to the maximum level and return with complete fitness.
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