Avintia Racing starts the triple at Motegi

Avintia Racing team riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz head to Japan for the 15^thround of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship this weekend. Sunday’s 24-laps encounter will mark the start of the overseas triple, and after the Japanese round, teams and riders will fly to Australia and Malaysia. Twin Ring Motegi is a typical stop and go circuit and Barbera and Baz are looking forward to get the best out of their Ducati Desmosedici GP14.2.

The 29-year-old Spaniard is currently tenth in the standings, with a gap of only 12 points to eighth place, so he is eager to climb some positions before the end of the season. He will start his attack this weekend in Japan, and then continue at Phillip Island and Sepang, where he was really fast during the winter test.

Loris Baz heads to Japan in best physical shape after his foot injury, so he will start the triple with highest expectations.

“I head to Japan really strong after two weeks of training. Motegi is one of my favourite tracks and I’ve been always fast there, so I’m ready to start the triple. It will be crucial to get a good result this weekend, because if you make a good start, then everything else comes easily. Last year I rode one of the best races of the season at Motegi and I got the Open Class lead back, so I’m really confident and looking forward to get a good result. The track has many hard braking zones and this is one of the strongest points of our bike, so we have to work hard from Friday to get the best package forSunday.”

“I head to Japan really motivated. The season has been tough for me and with two consecutive injuries, I was physically and mentally exhausted. I was able to ride my bike at Aragon, but I was far from the physical shape you need to ride these bikes. But I’m more fit now, not at 100%, but much better than three weeks ago. To have three races in three weekends is perfect for me, as I’ll be able to get the rhythm back. Last year, my race at Motegi was not good, but I think that it will be different with Ducati. This bike is very stable under braking and although we don’t have winglets to avoid wheelies, I think that we can be competitive. We’ll see how the weather will be as rain is quite common in Motegi.”