Barbera struggling with experimental setup in wet practice session

Ambient and track temperatures of just 10°C made for a chilly opening to the Australian Grand Prix, with rain and a dirty track surface making life difficult for the riders when MotoGP free practice finally got underway at 15:50 local time. The two hour delay was necessary to clean the track and at one point it seemed likely that the session would be cancelled altogether, although finally it went ahead and it was dominated by the new World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, ahead of Ducati pair Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden.

Páginas Amarillas Aspar rider Héctor Barberá made his first MotoGP appearance at Phillip Island in cautious fashion, with the main objective to rack up laps and gather his confidence on the slippery track surface. A set-up change to his Ducati at the start of the session did not have the required effect but a switch back to his standard wet setting helped him improve. His best lap came on his 20th of 25 attempts and was enough to leave him thirteenth on the overnight timesheets.

13th Héctor Barberá 1.45.695 (25 laps): “At the start of the session I struggled more than I expected on the wet track because we experimented with a different setting. I didn’t feel comfortable but I wanted to stay out there for a while to see if I got used to it but halfway through the session we switched back to the setting I usually use in the wet. At this circuit you always need to have confidence in the front end. We have an idea for tomorrow, which is to use a slightly harder front fork setting, because it felt soft today. I am happy because my feeling with the rear was much better today than it has been in recent races. If it keeps raining we’ll just have to ride as much as possible and gradually get my references. Even if the race is to be in the rain it will still be an advantage if we can get some dry track time tomorrow.”

Source: Paginas Amarillas Aspar