When Aspar Martinez announced that their deal to continue to field a Ducati fell through and they would be fielding a CRT bike in 2012, we imagined that Hector Barbera didn’t exactly take it very well, infact the Spaniard started to look for another ride and he found it with the Pramac Ducati team.
With Loris Capirossi retiring and Randy de Puniet having had horrible season and being cut loose (De Puniet has yet to announce where he’s going – more or likely back to LCR Honda) Pramac Ducati looks, at the moment like they’ve decided to field only Barbera next season.
During tomorrow’s and Wednesday’s post season test at Valencia, Barbera, along with all the other Ducati riders will be testing the GP0 or laboratory prototype, as Ducati’s Filippo Preziosi calls it, which will have a full twin spar aluminium frame, but it will not be the actual bike that will race next season.
Héctor Barberá said,“This will be my third year riding a Ducati and I want to thank the Pramac Racing Team and Paolo Campinoti who have given me this opportunity.
In the last two seasons I have not achieved the results I wanted and I hope that now, after the experience I have gained, I can get better results.
Both I and Pramac Racing have high aims.
I am coming from one of the hardest moments of my career and I want a change.
Ducati is working hard, this was a difficult year but I am sure that with the Test on Tuesday and Wednesday and especially with the winter break, where they will have time to work, they will be able to give us a very competitive bike at the beginning of next season.
”Paolo Campinoti, Pramac Racing Team Principal: “We are happy to announce that Héctor Barberá will be with us for the 2012 MotoGP season.
We are confident that his experience riding a Ducati in the last two years may take him on to achieve an even better season with us.
This season, despite a bad injury, he finished as the third best Ducati rider and this bodes well.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our 2011 riders, Randy de Puniet and Loris Capirossi, for the season they have just completed with us.
We wish them a future full of happiness on and off the track.
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