MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 11/08/2009
Alex Debon went out for a test lap, but was in too much pain. So the final 250 race ever will start with a different polesitter. Debon qualified on pole, but because he won't be starting, Marco Simoncelli will be starting from pole, alongside Hector Barbera, Ratthapark Wilairot and Hiroshi Aoyama, who moves up onto the front row. Results: read more
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 11/07/2009
Mike di Meglio topped the timesheets in the second session of free practice for the 250cc class, relegating the Valencian riders into a battle for 2nd. Alex Debon was the fastest of the local boys, edging out Hector Barbera by just fifteen hundredths of a second. Championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama finished the session in 4th, in good shape for this afternoon's qualifying. Marco Simoncelli, the only...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 11/06/2009
Hector Barbera won the battle of the Valencians on the first day of practice for the 250cc class. The local hero relegated Alex Debon to 2nd place, Barbera leading Debon by over three tenths of a second. Alvaro Bautista was another three tenths behind in 3rd, ahead of championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama. Aoyama usefully put his team mate Raffaele de Rosa between himself and the only man capable of...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/30/2009
As the final race for the much-loved 250cc class approaches, news is starting to emerge of rider signings and ongoing negotiations for the Moto2 class which is scheduled to take its place. It was reported earlier this week that Alex de Angelis is close to a deal with Tech 3 , after the enclave republic of San Marino was not prepared to fund the Scot Honda MotoGP project which would have kept the San...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/27/2009
The 2010 MotoGP season is set to be a bumper year for rookies, with a grand total of 6 newcomers entering the class. Hiroshi Aoyama, Hector Barbera, Alvaro Bautista, Aleix Espargaro and Marco Simoncelli are all moving up to MotoGP from the 250cc class, while Ben Spies is parachuting in from World Superbikes. The influx of new blood into the class - including some of the most eagerly-awaited names...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/24/2009
Hiroshi Aoyama topped the time sheets in the second session of free practice, continuing the work he started on Friday. After his salary holdout on Friday, Hector Barbera was back on the front row, ahead of Marco Simoncelli, who was back up to speed. Mattia Pasini was 4th fastest. Result read more
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/23/2009
Hiroshi Aoyama struck the first blow in the battle for the 250cc championship at Sepang, the Japanese rider setting the fastest time of the day in the dying seconds of first session of free practice. It had taken much of the session until Aoyama was up to speed, though. For the first 40 minutes, Aoyama languished mid-pack with his main title rival Marco Simoncelli, but with 20 minutes to go, the Scot...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009
There was a fairly hefty injury toll at the cool and dusty Phillip Island track on Friday. There were fallers in all of the categories, but the heaviest of the lot were Hector Barbera in the 250cc class and Niccolo Canepa in MotoGP. Barbera highsided, landing heavily on his back and knocking the wind out of him. As he struggled for breath, Barbera told the press afterwards, he feared the worst, the...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009
Hector Barbera was the fastest man on track for the 250cc class at Phillip Island, but the Spaniard paid a heavy price for his efforts, falling heavily on his back and badly bruising it. Barbera finished over half a second ahead of 2nd place man Raffaele de Rosa, the Scot Honda rider carrying on the strong form he showed at Estoril. Both Jules Cluzel in 3rd and Mike di Meglio in 4th did much the same,...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/03/2009
Hector Barbera continues to lead the way in the 250cc class at Estoril, but only by a hair's breadth. The Spaniard is three hundredths ahead of the remarkable Ratthapark Wilairot, who is in turn four hundredths ahead of Mike di Meglio. The Frenchman is a similar distance ahead of his Mapfre Aspar team mate and title contender Alvaro Bautista, while the man that Bautista is trying to beat in the title...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 10/02/2009
Hector Barbera leads the way in the 250 class at Estoril, putting over half a second on 2nd place man Alex Debon. The Frenchman Mike di Meglio was 3rd fastest, while Karel Abraham once again surprised the field with a strong 4th place. The two men in the title race had a less successful start to the weekend, with Alvaro Bautista getting the best of it with the 6th fastest time, just behind Marco Simoncelli....
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 09/05/2009
Local boy Mattia Pasini was fastest in the second session of free practice for the 250cc class at Misano. The Team Toth Aprilia rider took an early lead and never gave it up, despite strong and sustained challenges from Pepe World's Hector Barbera. Metis Gilera's Marco Simoncelli was 3rd fastest in the session, getting ahead of the championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama on the Scot Honda in the final...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 08/29/2009
The clouds are disappearing here at Indianapolis, and the sun is starting to warm the track up nicely, meaning the second session of free practice for the250cc class was run under vastly better conditions than yesterday's rain-soaked first session. The sun agreed with Marco Simoncelli, for the Italian was the fastest in FP2, beating Hector Barbera by a fraction. The 3rd fastest man in the morning...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 08/28/2009
The continuing rain threw up some interesting surprises during the first session of practice for the 250cc class at Indianapolis. Biggest surprise of all was the name at the top of the timesheets: Matteoni Racing's Jules Cluzel was the fastest of the session, proving that he can be fast when conditions equalize the field, as he has done on other occasions this year. Cluzel kept ahead of Hector Barbera,...
MotoGPMatters.com (Free subscription) | 08/20/2009
Pity poor Jorge Martinez and his Aspar team. While the rest of the world is concentrating on the incredible soap surrounding Jorge Lorenzo and his switch to Ducati, what should have been the biggest news of the week - the confirmation of Hector Barbera to ride the Aspar Ducati in 2010 - is being shoved aside, consigned to the sidebars and small print, now a virtual irrelevance. Which is a shame, as...
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