It was expected because it was ardently desired by all parties and it is now official to the great joy of Loros Baz. The Frenchman is thus confirmed for 2023 in the satellite team of the Bavarian brand Bonovo, which is however as well equipped as the factory team. He will team up with American Garrett Gerloff. Loris Baz becomes the 15th rider confirmed on the 2023 WorldSBK grid.
This weekend, the Superbike championship will experience a new episode of its boiling championship on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Before that, another piece of the puzzle of the 2023 starting grid fell into place, with Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) which remains with the BMW family for a second season, and will therefore keep the Bonovo Action leather. Baz ranked in the Top 6 during his first season with BMW and even finished first in certain sessions. Consistency is now the objective to achieve in this second part of the 2022 season.
The Frenchman is a WorldSBK race winner and, although he hasn't been able to achieve this in recent years, he has stood on the podium with Yamaha and Ducati, while battling for podiums in MotoGP. The wealth of experience of Baz allowed him to achieve good results not only for BMW, but also for the Bonovo Action BMW team. The German team launched into WorldSBK full-time in 2021, but in 2022 two sixth-place finishes at Assen – thanks to Baz – were their highlights. For the rest of the 2022 season and for 2023, the podium will be the goal.
Speaking of the deal to stay with the team, Baz was delighted and delighted to be alongside Garrett gerloff : " I'm really happy to ride for BMW and the Bonovo Action BMW Racing Team again next year; I never doubted it. When I joined the project, the intention was to be involved for the long term and to progress each year. I feel really good in the team, and BMW is working harder than anyone to achieve the goal we all have »
Loris Baz: “ it's really important for the team that we feel like family »
« I'm also excited to have a guy as good as Garrett as a teammate. I also have a really good relationship with Eugene, and it's really important for the team that we feel like family. I'm sure that will be the case with Garrett as well. The goal now is to finish 2022 strong and enter the 2023 season with a good foundation. Thanks to everyone at BMW, Jurgen Roder and Michael Galinski for the trust placed in me »
Marc Bongers, director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, is also pleased that Baz remains in the BMW family: “ Loris is an important member of our BMW factory driver family, and we are delighted that he will continue with the Bonovo Action BMW Racing Team in 2023. We saw that the chemistry was immediately good between him, the team and his fellow factory drivers. With his experience, abilities and personality, Loris brings a lot to the Bonovo Action BMW Racing Team and our entire WorldSBK project. It’s great news that this impressive collaboration will continue next season. We are confident that we will continue to move forward together »
Jürgen Roder, owner of the Bonovo Action BMW Racing Team, said: “ I'm delighted that Loris is staying with us. We are very happy with it, and I believe that Loris Baz and his teammate Garrett Gerloff will be an incredibly strong duo next year, when we can hopefully push hard with the BMW. From a driving potential point of view, we have a large squad, and the core team will remain the same in 2023. So, we will have a well-drilled team that has done an outstanding job this year. In addition, we will have, in addition to Loris and Garrett, Eugene Laverty in the role of coach. Eugene gets along wonderfully with both drivers, so I think the collaboration will be great in that regard as well. This encourages me to be very positive about the future »
