Barbera wants to hit ground running on second BSB outing

Hector Barbera expects to be up to speed more quickly when he makes his second Bennetts British Superbike Championship appearance of the year at Branda Hatch.

The Spaniard made an eye-catching BSB debut for the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki team at Donington Park last month, securing a top six finish on his debut and claiming a pole position as a reward for his race two fastest lap.

Staying on the bike in place of the injured Ben Currie at Brands Hatch, the ex-MotoGP racer is hoping his greater knowledge of the electronics-free Kawasaki ZX-10R will allow him to be more competitve from the off this weekend.

“I’m very happy to be returning to the Bennetts British Superbike Championship for Round 4. It’s not going to be easy as Brands Hatch has a particularly challenging layout but thankfully, after a great debut at Donington, I haven’t got so much to learn for the bike.”

A winner at Brands Hatch in 2018, Glenn Irwin is hoping a return to a happy hunting ground will spur his fortunes in what has been a tough start to the season.

“We had a positive test at Knockhill on Monday, so I’m looking forward to this weekend. The season hasn’t started as we hoped, we’ve been unlucky with the bike which as has had a fundamental issue, but hopefully this is the turning point.

“I’ve got good memories of Brands Hatch where I got on the podium four times last season, including one first-place finish.”