Hector Barbera will get a second chance to shine on Andrea Iannone's factory Ducati after he was confirmed to miss next week's Australian Grand Prix.
The Italian is still resting since he suffered a fracture to his T3 vertebra in Misano because it is consolidating very slowly. Michele Pirro was busy in Valencia testing the bike that Jorge Lorenzo will use in post-GP testing, so Hector Barbera got a last-minute promotion to replace the No. 29 in Japan.
the Spaniard, qualified eighth, was fighting for seventh position when he fell on the 9th lap of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Hector Barbera: “For me it was a fantastic opportunity to ride the Desmosedici GP 2016 and race for a factory team like Ducati. I want to thank Ducati and Avintia Racing for giving me. Unfortunately, during the race I couldn't get a good start, especially because the clutch is very different from the one I normally use, and I immediately lost two positions. It took me a little time to pass Petrucci and then to catch Pol Espargaro whom I tried to overtake several times, until I tried with even more authority and, unfortunately, I fell.
I feel bad about it because I think today I could have finished fifth or sixth. In any case, I got the bike up to finish the race, but in the accident both wings had broken and I was no longer able to ride well.
Regardless, it's been a great experience and I'm very happy because I've been given another chance next week at Phillip Island. »
News which definitively concludes any speculation on a possible participation of Casey Stoner during his home Grand Prix and which opens the door to a new interim period for the Australian Superbike champion Mike Jones to replace Barbera at Avintia.
