After breaking his collarbone in preseason, Hector Barbera (Reale Avintia Racing) had an expectedly tough Qatar GP as he struggled through the pain barrier, but despite big improvements in his fitness, the Spaniard found the Gran Premio Motul de la Republica Argentina to still prove tough going.
After a baptism by fire as a replacement rider for the Ducati Team on the same bike at the end of 2016 and exploring further setups and settings this season, Barbera says it’s now clear the GP16 bike cannot adapt to him – and it’s up to him to adapt to the bike.
Hector Barbera, P13:"It has been a very complicated weekend and there has been no way to tame the ‘beast’. We have tested all the settings that this bike allows; I have not done two rides with the same configuration and we are at a point where it is clear that the bike cannot adapt the bike to my style. That's why I'm clear that I have to adapt to the bike. Already last year when I tried it did not go well and all winter has cost me a lot. The first race in Qatar was not a reference because my collarbone was bad, but the feelings were very bad. But here it was already good and have not improved. In 25 laps there has not been a curve where it went well and that is impossible, because I go all the time fighting with the bike. "