Barbera joins battle in Silverstone

The first MotoGP race to be held at Silverstone in 23 years promised excitement, although an intriguing premier class race was more one of surprises than of fights for victory. Just fifteen riders took to the grid, due to injuries picked up in the warm up and at the last round in Mugello, and only thirteen saw the chequered flag. Jorge Lorenzo was the first to do so and, besides a few early position changes amongst the leaders, he lead for almost the duration of the contest. It was the second consecutive race in which the leader had taken off into the distance and left his rivals aspiring to a podium rather than a win. Lorenzo extended his lead in the world championship with his first win from pole in 2010, and the podium was completed by Andrea Dovizioso and Ben Spies.

Another big battle took place away from the frontrunners, involving Páginas Amarillas Aspar rider Héctor Barberá. The Spaniard made a change in strategy in comparison with the previous four races, and the switch was evident in his speedy start. Following a group to pick up pace, things took a small turn for the worse on lap eight when he dropped three places going wide on a corner. In the end he won the fight with Kallio and Bautista, coming home eleventh in the first 800cc race at Silverstone. It may have been outside the top ten, but the result sets Barberá up nicely for further progression at Assen next weekend.

11th Héctor Barberá: “The start that I got was pretty good compared to the last four races. The goal on the first two laps was to keep with the group that was in front of me, stopping them from getting away. The fact that I was able to do it was a sign that I have improved. Later I spent a while behind Capirossi, and I saw that I had a better pace to him but was unable to get past him. I didn’t have enough confidence in the brakes. When I got through then Stoner got past us, so I decided to ride on my own. It was hard to keep the pace up and I lost concentration, and with two bad laps I had Capirossi, Espargaró and Álvaro on my tail. That was when I got back into things, with a similar pace to in the practice sessions. I want to take away the positives from this race: I was more consistent and didn’t make a significant mistake. The result isn’t great, but I hope to continue improving in Assen.”

Source: Aspar Team