While MotoGP continued its undecided season in Austin, WSBK launched its season in Aragon with as much promise in terms of spectacle and uncertainties. A first meeting which did not turn out in favor of the BMW brand, but it found a leader who is none other than the Frenchman Loris Baz. This bodes well for the future, because the Bavarians have just received a little boost from the regulations…
Loris Baz has done what it takes to position itself as a leader at BMW before being able to do the same in the WSBK peloton. But for the moment the M1000RR is not at the level to worry the dominant trio equipped with Ducati, Kawasaki and Yamaha… “ Everyone asked me about our potential and it is currently between P8 and P11, this is where the BMW machines are located ", highlighted Baz. " We must work hard and close the gap ". With his Bonovo team, which is not the official structure while benefiting from state-of-the-art equipment, the Frenchman worked well. And under the eyes of BMW boss Dr. Markus Schramm, who visited his teams in Spain…
Loris Baz finished 11th in the first race, 13th in the Superpole Race and above all seventh in the second main race, notably ahead of the Hondas. He is ninth in the general championship standings with 14 points, ahead of the Yamaha of gerloff. He is the best positioned of the BMW drivers. And he speaks like a leader… “ We had to understand why we were slower in the race on Saturday than in the test and why I was slower in the group than alone ", said Baz. " So with the team we made some changes before the second race and finally I felt more comfortable on the bike. I understood more things and the bike looked more like what I'm looking for ».
Loris Baz: “we must all believe in this project together and work"
He adds on speedweek : " I was able to get back to where I see our current potential, which is behind the top 3 machines but ahead of Honda. This is exactly what I had in mind. So I tried not to make a mistake and took her home ».
The Frenchman finished 23”9 behind the winner Alvaro Bautista on the Ducati. BMW has his work cut out for the second event at Assen in two weeks. This is what I think Loris Baz : " I said from the beginning that this weekend is our base for the whole year, we must build on this. We all have to believe in this project together and work as hard as we have since the first test. The season is long, so we must continue in the same way ».
In passing, Dorna, the FIM and the MSMA have decided to grant six additional days of testing to manufacturers in difficulty. Honda HRC will also benefit.
