About Anna Port /Motosan.es
Since we learned that Héctor Barberá's motorcycle was not in his box, the war is open and has not yet been completed. The Tóth team counterattacked and accuses the Valencian.
The big question about what happened between Héctor Barbera and Team Toth remains unanswered. As we told Motosan when we learned he would not be competing in the World Supersport Championship, questions about the 'Barberá affair' continue to arise. The allusions flew between the Spanish pilot and Imre Toth, owner of the team, the latter issuing a statement to defend himself in which he accuses Héctor Barbera several things:
“This press release will be difficult to publish in all media. This is because some, like most of them in the World Superbike paddock, have not seen a case similar to that of the Supersport category at MotorLand.
“I'll start at the beginning: Héctor Barberá has been very familiar to me for 14 years. In 2007 and 2008 we worked together, so we already had a friendly relationship before this year. Our contract was zero euros, as it was one of the last solutions for both of us. Both of us, my team and him, wanted to get back to a better level after a few years of setbacks. We wanted to ensure results for the years to come, and our Spanish driver, with good results, then returned to a factory team. So we both started the season motivated. The results speak for themselves.”
“Before coming to Aragón, Barberá already did not want to be at the start. When I saw my bike on the track, it was perfectly prepared by the YART GmbH in all areas, so much so that the bikes of the big teams did not overtake it, which I appreciated. A racing bike is never ready, you always have to develop it and you get what you get. Barberá had doubts about the engine, while it was always supported on paper, with proven results, times in sectors and top speed. A Supersport engine can last 2 to 000 km with very little power loss.”
“Before Barberá came to the weekend in Aragón, he was sure that he did not want to be at the start with this engine, accusing it of being bad, slow and dangerous. It had 1350 km and a horsepower difference compared to a new engine. We had another engine, which we put in on Friday, but a valve broke after eight laps. It can happen to anyone: a racing engine can break.”
“Before Aragón, I had the documentation of the Dynojet test. I'm sure there was something behind it. What could it be? ".
“It’s interesting to see that he got on another rider’s bike… Did he plan this with his manager? For Barberá it was much better if the bike was not in the box in Spain because it had been removed for material reasons, because it was not paid, or because he was already ready to compete in the pit lane, but regardless the driver didn't want to race. Of course, the first option was the best for him. Material causes? Financial problems ? Lies. We had all the pieces ready for competition, even after a fall or technical problem. He never lost track time due to a lack of parts.”
“Barberá's contract with the Toth team was for zero euros, so I don't owe him a cent. The mechanics? I made sure to have two technicians that I have worked with for many years. The other two engineers were brought by Barberá because he only wanted Spanish engineers. For my part, my only obligation was to pay for plane tickets, hotels and meals for them too. I have no contract with them. No debt. I bought the entire bike from Yamaha Austria Racing (YART). I paid a lot of coins. Debts to Yamaha? They didn't give me a single can of oil, so I had to buy everything, but it would have been better to buy it from a dealer, because I didn't get anything from Yamaha.
How can a motorcycle leave a modern circuit on a Saturday evening between 20:45 p.m. and 22:00 p.m.? This is the subject and the question. In fact, my motorcycle, as I said, was taken out of our box by Barberá's two technicians at Barberá's request. For what ? How ? My father, two mechanics (except the Spanish) and I went to the hotel for dinner, so the box key and the bike were given to the two Spanish engineers.”
I described earlier that Barberá didn't want to race on Sunday because he said the engine was bad and he wasn't competitive. The data and results said otherwise. Last year, with the Kawasaki factory in Pucetti, what happened? He scored more points with my bad bike in two races than with the Italian factory bike in three weekends. But his complaints, in any case, were far beyond what was understandable unless he consumed alcohol or other drugs. Why do I think this? A few years ago, he hit his girlfriend, got drunk and still doesn't have a driver's license for drunk driving. After I reported the theft to the police because my motorcycle was missing, Barberá started to gnaw at his head.”
On Sunday, after the police visited him, Barberá called me around 16:00 p.m. from his house, asking me to go there alone and without a cell phone, to tell me that the motorcycle was in a safe place and that we had to negotiate… What? How was my motorcycle stolen? Or is it just because he wanted to break the contract because he had another offer? Or, I'm sorry, had he been drinking again? After the second sentence, I felt like a threat. I stopped and said I will trust the police. The case will be analyzed by MotorLand security cameras. It's a joke that a modern circuit only has two PCs to view all the boxes, trucks, caravans purchased from dubious sources. So that we have security in the paddock? Who knows ? They will be more attentive in the future.”
“We continue to seek all the evidence for the official police investigation, as it is suspicious to hear Barberá on the phone and hiding behind Francisco Alfonso Morales and Oriol Vidal as perpetrators. Why on the phone? Can Dorna allow a team that has been racing since 2003 to not participate in the next race, but for the people in the paddock to work without problem? Interesting ".
“A theft is a theft, in every country. The final image is incomprehensible to me. Dorna's position is that these issues between a team and a driver or their staff must be resolved on their own. Or, again, the problem is that we are from Eastern Europe and they are from Spain, and they have a lot of pomp... As for the future of the team, if we go back working with Dorna, we persist and the perpetrators will go to prison for theft and threats, which is bad for the sport and the World Championship, right? I would be happiest if the 50 euro bike was there. Come to Imola with a new rider on a new or old bike, it doesn't matter. We will come back ".
This is the end of Imre Tóth's message to Héctor Barberá, who is currently competing in the Netherlands replacing Tati Mercado. The Argentinian suffered a heavy fall last weekend in Aragón which caused him to fracture his scaphoid. For now, this will be the Valencian's last appearance on the track in the World Superbike.
Read the original article on Motosan.es
