Hector Barbera is in trouble – and that’s even before he’s got on a Pramac Ducati.

The Spanish rider was stopped by police at the weekend for erratic driving and was given a breathalyzer test. Barbera failed the test and was fined, he also had 3 points deducted from his license.

Hector Barbera swiftly issued the following press release:

“On Friday night I celebrated one last family Christmas dinner, also attended by several friends, with whom we later left by car for Valencia. I was traveling as a passenger in a Vauxhall Astra with a friend, who was stopped for a breathalyzer test and he exceeded the limit allowed by law. It was he, not I, who tested at 0.60.

“In that situation, because I had only had a drink of alcohol, the police suggested I take the car and I took the test and resulted 0.32 and 0.28 in a period of 20 minutes.

“I would have been irresponsible to drive, but having only drunk one glass I wasn’t feeling intoxicated. I’d like to apologize to my team, my sponsors and MotoGP fans for what happened. As a rider I should set an example and I can guarantee that this will never happen again.”

Although it has not been officially confirmed by all parties, it is said that Hector Barbera has already signed to join the Pramac Ducati team for the 2012 season. Barbera’s only other real option was to look at CRT offers, but he has decided to stay in the Ducati family as the sole rider in a one bike Pramac Ducati team.

A brave, but understandable move – however, I can’t see Barbera getting too excited, or motivated at the thought of yet another season fighting for top 10 positions on tricky machinery. But if there is no place else to go, then I guess a move sideways is all you have.

Hector Barbera talks about today’s qualifying session at Sepang below:

Hector Barbera:
“To be honest I am in a lot of discomfort. Hopefully it will improve as the weekend progresses because I can’t race like this. I could only manage five laps this morning and it was tough to deal with the pain. I felt a bit better this afternoon but I needed an injection and even then it’s tough. I didn’t have much feeling on the bike but I guess that’s normal,” said Barbera.

“When you are in pain you try to adopt a more comfortable position and that unbalances the bike. I can’t load the weight as I would like, I can’t be aggressive. I came here because I felt good and the arm was responding well but the big problem is my ribs. I am going to work with the physio tonight to see if I can be in better shape tomorrow. Even though it was a tough day it was good to be back on the bike.”

Barbera and the Aspar Ducati team have vowed to make a variety of set-up changes to boost results – however, Mugello is a tough and demanding track with lots of challenging corners, as well as having the longest straight on the GP calendar, so they have got their work cut out for themselves.

Héctor Barberá:
“We saw at Assen that the set-up we have been working with has no room to progress so we decided to take a step backwards. The idea is to take one step back and two forwards so we plan to go back to something more like the set-up we had at the start of the year, which we have drifted away from lately. We can’t afford to have another race like the one in Holland so this weekend we will be working around the clock to be ready for the race. I like Mugello and I hope that the weather is good to us so that we can complete all the work we have planned.”

His impressive speed in Qatar throughout Practice and Qualifying caught everyone’s attention, but he failed to turn it to his advantage come race-day.

Héctor Barberá:
“The Spanish Grand Prix always has a special flavour to it and with this being our first race in Spain this year I am extra motivated. I want to put Qatar behind us. Practice there went perfectly but the race didn’t. We have a lot of experience behind us now and I think we can carry it through to the race this time. We know our potential has improved drastically from last year and that we can perform at a high level. As far as I am concerned I will keep giving my all every time to close the gap to the lead riders. Jerez is a circuit that I think will suit our bike, especially in terms of its acceleration. It also has a lot of fast corners and that is what I love, as well as being one of the strong points of the Ducati.”

Héctor Barbera is looking for a step up in performance in Estoril in what he says feels like a home GP, describing it as “practically another Spanish round”.

Héctor Barberá:
“On one hand I was looking forward to getting home because it is tough to be away for a month but on the other hand you are with friends, doing what you love and enjoying yourself. Since I got back I have been thinking about the next Grand Prix in Portugal. It is practically another Spanish round because so many of our fans go there. I always enjoy riding at Estoril and I won the 125cc race there back in 2004 so I think I can do well this weekend. A lot of the characteristics of the circuit are suited to my riding style and I am convinced I can be fast there on the the Ducati.”

Hector Barbera endured a challenging qualifying session at Sepang for the Malaysian MotoGP, which was made worse by a late crash in turn 7. Barbera was unhurt but faces an uphill battle in tomorrow’s race as the crash prevented him from improving his times and forced him into 15th place on the grid.

Héctor Barberá 2.02.928 (23 laps):
“Once again we have to start from a long way back. We struggled to improved today but the pace in general is very fast. I am only 1.3 seconds off pole yet I find myself in fifteenth place. It is not a big gap around so a long circuit but we have to improve. We took an important step this morning and I felt good but this afternoon didn’t go so well. As in Japan the main problem is rear stability under acceleration. It is a shame because we did improve but just not enough and we have have to find a set-up that makes the bike easier to handle. I tried to make up time under braking on my last lap but left it too late and the front folded.”

Hot conditions, a bumpy track, and a lack of grip all caused issues for Hector Barbera at the Indianapolis MotoGP – despite this, Barbera still managed to finish in the top 10 after a late duel with Loris Capirossi.

Hector Barbera reflects on the Indy GP:

Héctor Barberá:
“This result is fairly positive, but I can’t say that I am entirely satisfied because I didn’t have much fun out there. I was having front end problems right from the get-go; on each corner I had the steering tuck in and I felt like there was no grip. I had to be very focused and pay attention to every turn in order to stay upright, because it would have been very easy to have crashed. It’s strange, but the heat did not help us at all, as I felt comfortable during the morning warmup and thought that a good race was possible. When the temperatures rose it took too much out of the bike. Perhaps it is due to a small change in the engine, but we will look at it in detail this week in order to be ready for Misano -where it will also be hot. It isn’t logical that we should suffer with this. In any case, it is the first time that this has happened to us and we can’t be too displeased with a return to the top ten. Next week we should be in peak condition again.”

View it on The Official MotoGP Website

With 5 Ducatis on the MotoGP grid, and a number of Italian riders in the MotoGP category it seems that Mugello is potentially a ‘home race’ for almost everyone on the grid – a fact that is reflected in the passion and noise of the thousands of fans that will descend on Mugello this weekend for the race.

Another rider for whom Mugello is effectively a ‘home race’ is Hector Barbera. The Ducati has a history of going well at the circuit and Barbera is confident that he can secure a decent result for the team and the fans.

Héctor Barberá:
“I am feeling very motivated about the Italian Grand Prix this weekend and I am keen to continue improving my results. Mugello is a circuit I love and I have always enjoyed riding there. To be going to Italy on the back of a race like the one we had in France is exciting because I know I can be fighting for top ten finishes at every race. This is also Ducati’s home race and the circuit where the bike was effectively born and developed. I’m sure this will be an extra source of motivation for all the Ducati riders, as will the support of the Italian fans, who are very passionate – like the Spanish fans. Mugello is characterised by fast corners and you need a smooth riding style to make up time, which suits me.”

8th Héctor Barberá:
“I am very happy and think that the post-Grand Prix test that we did at Jerez was very important for us. We found a few adjustments that have really worked out. The team worked very well this weekend; despite us losing our way a little, they prepared a very good bike for the race. I was second-to-last on the grid, and my thinking was that only one rider could overtake me and I had nothing to lose. With this idea in mind, the goal was to enjoy the race -something that I hadn’t yet been able to do. I discovered early on that the left-handers were difficult for me, as the tyres didn’t have a chance to get up to temperature on that side. I started to get more confident as the laps progressed, although when I had a light coming together with Aoyama I lost a few positions. Then I made another fightback and got up to eighth. I am highly satisfied, because the front end feeling was finally good for me. I am aware that my over-exuberance in the first two races stopped me from doing well, but the goal for this race was to not lose touch of the group ahead. I achieved this and for that reason I can be happy.”