Barbera hopes to be fit and ready to race after crash in qualifying

There was no let up in the cold weather at Phillip Island today although at least the MotoGP qualifying session went ahead in dry and sunny conditions this afternoon. Casey Stoner used his expertise around this circuit to dominate proceedings, finishing almost seven tenths clear of his nearest challenger to set up a challenge for his fourth consecutive home win. With a minute remaining the rain returned and prevented any further attempts to improve.

The notorious turn one and the vicious sea breezes made life difficult for Páginas Amarillas Aspar rider Héctor Barberá in qualifying this afternoon. The strong winds enforced set-up changes to his Ducati, in particular the front and rear shocks, but he was unable to confirm improvements due to two off-track moments, one of which resulted in a crash. Halfway through the session he ran off track and returned the pits, returning ten minutes later only to crash after touching the grass. A bruised elbow and strained adductor will not stop him from racing tomorrow.

16th Héctor Barberá 1.33.390 (24 laps): “It is a shame because I have been unlucky to have late crashes in qualifying a few times lately and it has cost me a good grid position. This time we had made a change to the bike and I could feel an improvement but I was still being bothered by the wind so we lowered the front. We also went for a softer rear shock and lowered the centre of gravity of the bike to give us more grip. Unfortunately with the first crash I selected a lower gear than usual and locked the rear. Because I was going quite fast I ran onto the grass and crashed, which is a shame because we were making progress. My groin is pretty painful but I hope to be recovered in time for tomorrow. Now we have to focus and think about the race to make sure of a good result and continue to learn.”

Source: Paginas Amarillas Aspar Team