Hector Barbera to ride Aspar Ducati in 2010

According to reports in the Spanish press, Hector Barbera and Jorge Martinez have reached an agreement today on a one-year deal for the current 250cc rider, with an option to extend the contract for another year.
The official announcement is said to follow in a few hours.

Update: Official confirmation has now come from Jorge Martinez.

This is excellent news for us, to be reunited with Héctor Barberá after so many years. We won the Spanish championship together and Grands Prix in 125cc and I’m sure this will be another great project. We hope for good results next year and we want this to be a long term agreement. Hopefully Héctor can earn factory machinery with his results. For our team it is a dream to be competing in all three World Championship categories.

Martinez and Barbera have already been working together until the end of 2003 when Barbera split with the Aspar Team in disagreement and joined the Seedorf Racing Team. Martinez has been angered by the matter ever since, but for this new project both parties seem to have buried their difference and open a new chapter.

Alvaro Bautista with Suzuki in 2010

Against early assumptions that Alvaro Bautista will join the newly formed Aspar Ducati team in the MotoGP class next year, the young Spaniard has decided to sign a contract with Suzuki instead, his only possibility of riding a factory bike in the first year as a Rookie.

Jorge Martinez announced that he will now have to decide between Toni Elias and Hector Barbera as possible riders for his new team next season.

The official press release from Suzuki:

Suzuki Motor Corporation is pleased to announce that Spaniard Alvaro Bautista will be joining its official MotoGP team in a two year agreement, to contest the 2010 and 2011 MotoGP World Championships.

Bautista was Spanish 125cc champion in 2003 and crowned 125cc World Champion in 2006. He moved up to the 250cc class in 2007 and earned the ‘Rookie of the Year’ title for his impressive results. Bautista was runner-up in the 2008 title race and he is currently in contention for this season’s 250cc championship, sitting in second place with six races remaining. Since his Grand Prix debut in 2002 Bautista has scored 43 podiums including 16 victories (eight in each class). The 24-year-old hails from Talavera de la Reina in Spain, a town approximately 130kms west of Madrid.

Suzuki is very pleased to have achieved the signing of one of the brightest young stars in Grand Prix racing and looks forward to developing a strong relationship and exciting races with Alvaro Bautista.

Alvaro / Aspar Announcement Thursday?

MotoGPMatters reports on the question of whether Alvaro will ride with Aspar in MotoGP next season as coming to a head this weekend at Brno, citing stories from the likes of Marca and GPOne that suggest Bati signed a pre-contract of some kind with Suzuki in the middle of 2008, and that a ride on the vacant Ducati seat in Aspar’s new MotoGP team is by no means a certainty.

Says David Emmett:
Aspar has a problem. Alvaro Bautista has already signed a pre-contract with Suzuki last summer, according to the reports, and is not inclined to pay the penalty which breaking that commitment would involve. As a result, Bautista is increasingly leaning towards finalizing a deal with Suzuki to ride for the Rizla squad for 2010. His choice is also influenced by the fact that he will be able to go straight to a factory team, Suzuki having received a dispensation from the rookie rule which forces new entrants to sign with satellite squads.

Up against this, Aspar can offer a contract directly with Ducati, but riding in the Aspar team. Bautista would be assured of strong support from Ducati Corse, and the option of moving up to the factory squad should his results be good enough. Of course, with so many riders struggling to tame the Desmosedici, Bautista may not want to risk that option, and the Spaniard has in the past flat out refused to ride the Ducati.

The various reports suggest that there will be emergency meetings in the Brno paddock with Aspar and Alvaro’s management to try and nail the matter – and that whatever the outcome, Jorge Martinez will name his rider this weeked, probably on Thursday or Friday.

Smith to continue with Aspar in Moto2

During an appearance at the BSB round in Brands Hatch this weekend, current 125cc Bancaja Aspar rider Bradley Smith told reporters that he has already reached an agreement with the Aspar Team to continue with them in the Moto2 class next year.
And official announcement has yet to be made.

Source: gpone.com

Aspar & Ducati confirmed - Alvaro Bautista as their rider?

Jorge Martínez "Aspar" will finally move his World Championship project up to MotoGP in 2010, courtesy of a deal with Ducati confirmed on Saturday at Donington Park. After three years of negotiating with various factories, an agreement has been struck for an ambitious stay in the premier class.

“It seems that after three years we are finally able to achieve our dream of presenting a MotoGP project. It’s been three years of fighting and looking for the best option and, after sounding out various factories, we have finally reached an agreement with Ducati,” declared Aspar at the British track. “I hope that this will be a fruitful arrangement that will continue in the long term. In theory we will have one rider in 2010, with the idea being to expand to two in 2011.”

The Aspar Team will be present in all three categories of the World Championship, with the MotoGP team joining 125cc and Moto2 squads.

“Our goal is primarily to grow strong in MotoGP from a technical viewpoint. We will continue with the 125cc team and compete in the Moto2 class, so we feel that this is a big step for the whole team. Today the big news is that we are moving up to MotoGP with Ducati, so the second thing that we have to do is confirm a rider. We hope to be able to do this by the time we get to Brno,” added the former three-time lower cylinder category World Champion, who was clear on his preferred choice for the available spot.

”It would be great to convince Álvaro Bautista to come up with us and he is our first option for the MotoGP team. He has been with us for a long time, winning a 125cc World Championship and finishing second in 250cc, so it would be great for him to continue with us,” he stated, referring to the rider currently involved in the 250cc title fight.

Source: motogp.com

Aspar not with Yamaha in 2010

MCN reports that Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis denied that the Japanese factory might be increasing the numbers of bikes on the grid, supplying Jorge Martinez' MotoGP project next year.

"Four for us has always been the optimum number for how we maintain quantity and quality. There was a direct discussion with Aspar in 2008 about the possibility of a fifth bike but we decided to continue with Tech 3.

This year we had a request from Dorna to increase the quantity and Yamaha considered that, but it is very difficult, particularly now considering the economic climate. Given that, frankly four bikes now is the maximum Yamaha wants to do.

Concerning a split between Tech 3 and Aspar, we’ve never had that intention and we’ve clarified that. Yamaha has already informed Dorna that our limit is four bikes and it will remain as the current format, two for the factory team and two for Tech 3. That is absolutely sure.”

It is now suspected that Honda might supply a RC212V for Aspar's MotoGP project, probably working with current 250cc championship leader Alvaro Bautista who still has an offer from Suzuki on the table.