Loris Baz and the Reale Avintia Racing team were impatiently awaiting this first meeting of the season at the Losail International Circuit.
However, a downpour arrived on the grid, which delayed the start of the race which was ultimately reduced to 20 laps. The Frenchman started from 14th place on the grid and managed to get a very good start to compete with Jorge Lorenzo until the finish. Victim of a problem with his brake lever, the Frenchman avoided taking unnecessary risks by securing the points for 12th place; a result that he dedicates to Anthony Delhalle and Adrien Protat, who tragically passed away recently.
Loris is now focused on the next event of the season at Termas de Rio Hondo for the Argentine Grand Prix.
Loris Baz (12th): “I wasn't really disturbed by the situation, but rather by the tragic disappearance of Adrien. The conditions weren't exactly ideal at the start, but I managed to stay both focused and relaxed. Regarding the race pace, I knew it was going to be complicated, but I remained quite confident. We really had to control the front which tended to slide a lot with the medium tire. I held the bike up with my elbow many times before I had a problem with my front brake clearance adjustment screw. The lever was far away and very hard, my arm started to become paralyzed, making it difficult to finish the race. So I couldn't keep up with Lorenzo, because I was in a lot of pain, I even had trouble accelerating. On this side, I'm disappointed, because I know I was faster than him in certain places. However, I preferred to ensure by avoiding taking unnecessary risks. However, I remain satisfied with this 12th place. We finished the race while understanding a lot about the bike. I don't think I've ever finished so close to the leaders on a dry track. We are progressing and it's a good race that I would like to dedicate to Anthony and Adrien. I was keen to achieve this result for them. »
