250cc – Valencia FP1 – Barbera in the lead, Simoncelli sixth

In the only session available on Friday for the 250 class in Valencia, Hector Barbera set the best time in 1'36.185 on the Aprilia of the Pepe World Team. The rider who will move to MotoGP with the Ducati of the Aspar team next season has distanced himself by three tenths from his compatriot Alex Debon, while third is Alvaro Bautista followed by the leader of the standings Hiroshi Aoyama.

The Japanese Honda-Scot rider thus wins the first confrontation with Marco Simoncelli, only sixth and forced to win on Sunday to hope to regain the world title. Raffaele De Rosa was inserted between the two, who has been very fast in the 250 for several races.

The other Italians, however, are behind: Mattia Pasini did not go beyond twelfth position, immediately followed by Alex Baldolini on the Aprilia of WTR San Marino, while Roberto Locatelli was 19th, still injured after the crash at Sepang which forced him to have surgery scaphoid these days.