Barbera Optimistic & Motivated For Mugello
The racing season extends from the circuits of Europe to the roads this week as the teams and riders make a dash across the continent from Holland to Italy for the next round of the MotoGP World Championship this weekend. Having raced at Assen just a few days ago the riders will be back on track this Friday at Mugello, the eighth round of the season and one of only six on the calendar that measures more than 5km in length. Constant elevation changes and impossible corners, as well as the longest straight on the calendar (1.141km) makes this one of the most challenging venues to ride a MotoGP machine. Casey Stoner has taken control of the points standings over the past two rounds but Jorge Lorenzo is in hot pursuit and the likes of Valentino Rossi, Marco Simoncelli and Andrea Dovizioso will be desperate for home glory.
Two tough weekends at Assen and Silverstone are already in the past for MAPFRE Aspar rider Héctor Barberá, who is keen to wipe the slate clean with a positive and optimistic approach to the Italian Grand Prix. A host of changes to his set-up and a radical approach to improving his form at all costs is on the Spaniard’s ‘to do’ list this weekend. He knows it won’t be easy because Mugello is as long and technical a circuit as you could find but the challenge of racing at the home of Ducati is an extra motivation for him to make up for his disappointment at the last two rounds.
Héctor Barberá:
“We saw at Assen that the set-up we have been working with has no room to progress so we decided to take a step backwards. The idea is to take one step back and two forwards so we plan to go back to something more like the set-up we had at the start of the year, which we have drifted away from lately. We can’t afford to have another race like the one in Holland so this weekend we will be working around the clock to be ready for the race. I like Mugello and I hope that the weather is good to us so that we can complete all the work we have planned.”
Source: Aspar Media
