Barberá cannot wait for MotoGP bow

Months of preparation, pre-season Testing and the excitement of starting his first MotoGP race have all made Héctor Barberá more than ready to get out on the track at the Losail International Circuit this weekend.

The Páginas Amarillas Aspar rider will roll out for the opening practice session of the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar this Friday evening on his Ducati, and after a successful pre-season in which he made great progress on the premier class machine Barberá is more than ready to pit his wits against the rest of the MotoGP riders in the first race.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing how I compare to the other riders on track,” said Barberá. “I know I am a MotoGP rider but until I see myself there at a Grand Prix, actually racing with these guys, I won't truly believe it.”

Barberá, who has a good 250cc record at the track and who won the quarter-litre floodlit race last season, continued: “It's fair to say pre-season was short but we have made the most of what time we had and now we're ready to race.”

“Losail is a circuit I love – I've been on the podium there for the past three seasons including a win last year. I feel comfortable at a circuit with a lot of fast corners, like this one. The experience of racing at night is like nothing else, it's really special. It doesn't change anything though – we have to be fast in any kind of conditions," he concluded.