The Frenchman finished 11th on the opening day in Portugal, just nine thousandths behind Superpole 2.
After more than two months of summer break, the drivers of the World Superbike Championship returned to the track on Friday for the tenth meeting of the calendar on the Portimão circuit in Portugal.
Under a radiant sun, Loris Baz was among the most diligent, completing no less than 50 laps of the Lusitanian route. Author of a time of 1'43.277 during the opening session, the representative of the Althea BMW Racing team, who quickly found his feet aboard the BMW S 1000 RR after his time on KTM in MotoGP at Silverstone, gained almost five tenths over the whole day.
Ranked in 11th position, nine thousandths behind Michael Ruben Rinaldi and less than a second from the benchmark established by Jonathan Rea, the Haut-Savoyard believes he has all the cards in hand to secure his entry ticket into Superpole 2 during repechages which will be held on Saturday morning.
Loris Baz (11th – 1'42.787): “After more than two months of break, this day went rather well, especially in comparison to the other teams who had recently tested on this track. My last feeling being that of the KTM, I also had to regain my bearings somewhat on the BMW handlebars. We quickly found our rhythm, immediately setting a time only five tenths of the one we had set this winter. I just missed Superpole 2 and it's really frustrating. I suffered from a few electronic cuts during my flying laps with my new tire. That’s how it is, we will try to do better tomorrow. We are very fast in the last sector and I think that bodes well for the races. The most important thing will first be to complete good qualifying by gaining a few places on the grid in order to score points at the finish. »
