Hector Barbera’s Ducati MotoGP deal confirmed

Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez has confirmed Hector Barbera will spearhead his first assault on the MotoGP world championship in 2010.

Following Alvaro Bautista’s move to Suzuki’s factory MotoGP squad, Martinez moved quickly to tie up a deal for Barbera while he was in negotiation with the Tech 3 Yamaha squad.

Barbera, who currently sits fourth in the 250GP world championship and has won eight GP races in his career, said: “I am very happy to be going to MotoGP, as to do so is the dream of every rider in the world. As a Valencian rider I am especially drawn to the idea of working in the Aspar Team project.

“Right now the Ducati is a very competitive bike; the factory won the world championship two years ago and the team and myself have a strong desire to do well. The goal for the first season in the premier class will be to adapt to the new bike and team as soon as possible -in order to get the best results possible.

“Now I am going to focus on finishing this season, in which I have six races to go, and when the year is over we will begin work on the new project.”

Martinez, who was desperate to clinch a deal with current 250GP rider and title contender Bautista, said: “It is undoubtedly great news for us to have signed Hector, especially because of our long history together.

“In our previous association we won the Spanish championship and various 125GPs, and I am convinced that we can have further success with this project. I am sure that next year we can get some great results and that this will be a long-term arrangement.

“I am hopeful that Hector can become a factory rider, as this will mean that he would have earned some great results with us. For the team it is a dream come true to be able to line up in all three classes, in particular because we do so with a Valencian rider.”