In Brno at the Czech GP, Loris Baz and Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) took an incredible double top five result for the team in P4 and P5 respectively – and Sepang proved a re-run of sorts, but with Hector Barbera besting his teammate in Malaysia as the finishing order was reversed.
Barbera, who recently replaced Andrea Iannone at the factory Ducati Team for two races, was back with Avintia at Sepang and put on an impressive wet weather display, taking his Desmosedici GP14 to the top four for his best ever result in MotoGP™ - and came home top Independent Team rider.
Hector Barbera (P4): “I’m really happy because this fourth place is incredible and also my best result in MotoGP ever. After two difficult races in Japan and Australia I really needed this result to get a boost of confidence and energy before my home race in Valencia. There is no doubt that this result came in the right moment. But although I’m very happy for myself, I’m also extremely happy for my teammate Loris, because he needed it even more than me. This result is fantastic for the whole team. We are showing this season that with hard work, big effort and huge passion you can achieve important things. Avintia is the best example, because we don’t have the resources of many teams, but in passion we are world champions. We are in the top ten after 17 races, ahead of many factory bikes, and we go to Valencia determined to give our best again to close this fantastic season with the best possible result.”
Loris Baz took his best ever result in Misano 2015 with a P4, before repeating the feat in Brno this year. After a tough season interrupted by injury – most recently following a crash on the first lap of the British GP that saw the Frenchman sidelined once again – the top five result in Malaysia is another boost for morale as Baz looks to move back up the timesheets and regain full fitness.
Loris Baz (P5): “Before the race I was praying for rain, because the last three weeks have been really tough for me. After this weekend, we go back home with a big smile on our faces. If we look at the dry track time I’ve spent this year riding my bike, it is obvious that I’m far away from the pace, so I needed some confidence and you can only get that fighting and working hard every single day. But this result is what we were looking for to get a boost of morale and work even harder. This has been a really good race and I enjoyed battling with Hector. It was also an amazing result for the team. The race was difficult because with less water on the track my rear tyre was overheating, so this top five is fantastic. Valencia is my team’s home race and feels also like a home race to me as I have a house close to the circuit, so we will try to keep the momentum and fight for the best.”