Hector Barbera with Ducati Team once again – home GP for Mike Jones with Avintia Racing

Avintia Racing has arrived on Phillip Island and is ready to start the preparations for the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. As in Japan, Hector Barbera will be racing with the official Ducati Team, replacing Andrea Iannone, whilst Mike Jones will get a second ride with Avintia Racing and he will enjoy his first ever home race in the MotoGP class. The disciple of Troy Bayliss is extra excited ahead of this weekend and after a quick learning progress in Japan, he is aiming for further improvements on the island.

Loris Baz is also looking forward to get back to action, as Phillip Island is his favourite circuit. A good result on the ultra-fast track would be a welcome relief, since a lack of confidence prevented him from showing his true potential during the last few races.

“Phillip Island is a track that is good for my riding style, and it’s also good for the Desmosedici GP, because it has fast corners and other corners where the engine counts a lot. When I joined the Ducati Team at Motegi, it was all new for me: now I know the team and the bike better, and I know that we have everything we need to do well. The reality is that for me this is an incredible opportunity, and I’d like to thank Ducati and Avintia once again. Over the past few days I’ve been very calm, trying to take in all the information I picked up last weekend, but it’s obvious that we will be aiming to make a further step forward at Phillip Island.”

I’m looking forward to start the weekend, because this is my favourite race in the entire calendar. I love the circuit and we will see if we can get a good result. As usual at this time of the year, the weather conditions will be crucial at Phillip Island. There is a chance of cold temperatures that can make things difficult. We have to be smart and try to get the best set up for these conditions and we will have to work hard to get the best of Michelin’s tyre allocation. I’m sure that this track can help me to regain my confidence and I’ll push hard to get a good result for the team.”

“I’m very excited to be racing the second time in MotoGP at my home circuit on Phillip Island. It is fantastic to be racing with Avintia Racing and Ducati again, because I got to know the team last week when I raced with them at Motegi. It’
s great to have another opportunity with them on Phillip Island this weekend. I think things should be a little bit easier for me, as I know the circuit and I also know the bike, so hopefully things will go a bit smoother this weekend. I’m very excited because since it’s my home GP, there will be a lot of support and the atmosphere will be fantastic. I can’t wait to jump on the bike and get the weekend started.”