2010 MotoGP Rookies: Héctor Barberá

Héctor Barberá will make the graduation from the quarter-litre category to MotoGP in 2010, returning to the Aspar structure with which he made his World Championship debut in 2002.

Riding on Ducati machinery in the premier class, Barberá will again be teamed with Jorge Martinez ‘Aspar’ as he enters the next stage in a career that has already spanned eight seasons at the age of just 23.

Barberá made his World Championship debut in Japan at just 15 years old, and after a promising first season he went from strength to strength. In only his second season in the single cylinder category in 2003 Barberá amassed an impressive five podiums; a first GP win at Donington amongst them.

Better was to come in his final year in 125cc in 2004, as second overall was the result of a fine season which produced four wins and a further three podiums, the final race of the season at Valencia a highlight as Barberá won in front of his home crowd.

A move up to the 250cc class followed and after a year of settling in, 2006 delivered a win from pole position in China as Barberá finished seventh overall. He improved by two places in 2007, and in 2008 was a favourite for the title after being given an official Aprilia RSA. However, a crash in a practice session at the Japanese GP ended Barberá’s season early as he sustained fractures in two of the vertebrae in his back.

Returning for the start of the 2009 season, Barberá produced his best ever final classification in the 250cc World Championship in the category’s last ever season.

Victory in the opening race of the season in Qatar started the year in fantastic style for the Spaniard, and an eighth podium of the year in Valencia in the final race – another win on his home track – sealed second place in the 2009 standings.

Barberá began his preparations for his debut season in MotoGP immediately after finishing the 2009 campaign, riding the Desmosedici GP9 at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in the post-season test. Jerez provided the setting a few weeks later as he again took out the 800cc prototype, this time in wet conditions, and his education aboard the machine will continue in the next scheduled MotoGP test in Sepang in February.