After a difficult season through no fault of his own, because he was hit, Loris gradually returned to the top of the standings with a fine fourth place in the Czech Republic, then more recently fifth position at Sepang after a grandiose fight against to his teammate Hector Barbera. A few days before the last GP, let's take stock with Baz, for whom Valencia is loaded with meaning.
4e in Misano last year, 4e this year in Brno, then recently 5e during the last GP at Sepang, how do you compare these three places in the top 5?
“These three results are similar and have in common that they were obtained under fairly difficult conditions. This proves that achieving results in these conditions does not just depend on luck. It requires work, concentration (much more than on a dry track) and calls heavily on the qualities of the driver. Wet erases the imperfections that one machine may have, compared to another. Curiously, results are much less emphasized in motorcycle sport than in motorsport. In F1 for example, a driver who performs well in the wet has his results highlighted, but on a motorbike a little less. However, I find that performing regularly in these conditions is anything but luck.
How are you feeling physically at the moment?
“It’s okay, but it’s still quite complicated. It's not in great shape despite everything. It was complicated to train after my second injury, to try to get back to my best form, but it's not easy in the middle of the season. I'm good but not perfect, far from it. The foot, depending on the day and the weather, bothers me, but it is above all the fatigue accumulated with these injuries which handicaps me. But that's how it is, and I do the best I can depending on the state I'm in.
You participated in Malaysia for the 3e time in Q2 (second qualifying session for the best 12) this year with Austin and Jerez, resulting in 10e place on the grid in Malaysia. How have you improved so much from your best position of 15e in qualifying last year?
“I was hoping for a lot better this year. We were off to a good start, that was the goal. The regulations could allow this to be considered by tightening the performance of the motorcycles. With these injuries, we were unable to achieve our goals. We should have achieved more, because we started the season well with two appearances in Q2 during the first four races. This is only a postponement.
Was renewing your contract with Avintia while you were injured a great moral support and comfort for you?
“Of course, because it was proof of the confidence of this team. It was an important moment because we had not yet obtained a result this year at the time of signing. It was a relief for me to maintain their trust and to see that they continued to believe in me despite everything, that they didn't give me a second chance. It allowed me to retrain, to get back into it more calmly.
How is the last GP in Valencia shaping up, and what do you expect from it?
“It’s the team’s home Grand Prix. It's always something special for them. We are not in a period where we can expect big results, but rather in reconstruction, to regain lost confidence. I spent more than half as much time as the others on the bike so when it's like that it's difficult to keep up, especially in a year like this where you had to assimilate these new tires which changed every week. I was too injured, I lost confidence, lost my rhythm, so it was complicated. For the last Grand Prix I will try to have fun, to find the rhythm, to enjoy this last race, to try to get the best possible result, but there is no objective like there is. had at the start of the season. To go fast, the most important thing is to have fun.
What do you have planned for the tests on Tuesday and Wednesday (sport-wise, apart from grilling in the evening at your family home near the circuit)?
“It will already feel good because it will mark the end of 2016 which was a rather horrible year for me. We will be able to get off to a good start in 2017. I will discover this new bike, see the differences. I'm going to have a new chief mechanic, so I'm going to start working with him, try to find the best feeling and regain the rhythm and the pleasure that I lost a little during this year. It will be easier during the tests, and thinking about 2017 will do me good. »
