Aspar resigned to losing Hector Barbera

Spanish rider Hector Barbera seems a certainty to move to the Pramac Ducati squad in 2012 after his current Aspar squad confirmed it will split with the Bologna factory at the end of the season.

The Aspar squad, owned by former 125GP world champion Jorge Martinez, had initially planned to expand to a two-rider Ducati effort for 2012.

But a shortfall in its budget meant it had to revise those plans during the Motorland Aragon weekend last month and instead began negotiations to keep Barbera in a one-rider team for a third successive season.

But those talks with Ducati management collapsed during the Japanese Grand Prix earlier this month and the Aspar squad will now run its own 1000cc project.

It is most likely to lease RSV4 engines off Aprilia, but Sporting Director Gino Borsoi has also been in contact about the Suter/BMW project, which uses a highly-tuned S1000RR motor.

What is certain is that Aspar’s sudden and shock change in circumstances means Barbera will leave.

He is reluctant to ride a CRT machine and wants to maintain his relationship with Ducati and he is closing on a deal to ride the one GP12 machine that Pramac will run next season.

Borsoi told MCN: “I understand his situation because he wants to keep the best solution for himself and right now that is probably staying with Ducati. He has a good chance with them still. We have offered him the possibility to stay with us but the problem is we don’t understand at this moment what is the best bike. I hope in Malaysia we have a decision about the bike and then we can make a decision about the rider because right now it is difficult to talk to a rider and offer them something.”