WSBK Superbike: Loris Baz leaves Aragón with lessons

If last week Loris Baz created an illusion on the Aragón circuit by obtaining a first row and making two holeshots, this second weekend at Motorland confirmed that this track was all the less favorable to the Yamahas as the French pilot had not carried out the slightest private test.

This double round therefore above all made it possible to bring back lessons, in addition to the few points obtained over the course of six races rewarded with places of 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th and one retirement.

Reading the race summaries from number 76 makes it easy to summarize your thoughts of the moment...

Aragón 1 Saturday (Race 1: 7th): « It's a bit of a special weekend for us, because it's a circuit where we've never ridden the YZF-R1. Unlike the other teams, we did not carry out any testing there. It's a very complicated track and the first day wasn't easy, but things were much better this morning. We achieved a very good Superpole with a second place. It's been a while since I qualified on the front row. I had a very good start by taking the holeshot, but then we suffered. There were a few things that were wrong. I don't think I chose the right front tire. There were two of us who put it on and we both struggled at the end of the race. As for the other issues, we will try to resolve them by Sunday. We knew it was going to be tricky without prior testing. There are, however, positive aspects: we score points, I finish not far from Toprak, and there was this great Superpole. We'll try again tomorrow! »

Aragón 1 Sunday (Superpole Race — 9th / Race 2 — Crash): « It was a complicated weekend, but we expected it. Without prior testing, we knew we were going to suffer, but maybe not as much. It's a tricky track and we can see that the Yamaha is having more difficulty than elsewhere. We suffered enormously from the engine braking as the rear tire grip deteriorated after three laps. It's frustrating, especially after this first line and my two holeshots. This qualifying result is something we have to take away from this weekend. We have worked a lot for this and we must not forget it. I believed in it during the first race, then during the second following Jonathan for three laps. But as soon as the grip drops, we start to encounter a lot of problems entering the curve. You have to work on the electronics, the engine brake and the setup of the bike. We have a few days to analyze this. It will be about finding solutions to bring us closer to the forefront. We'll try again next week! »

Aragón 2 Saturday (Race 1: 12th): « It's a complicated weekend. We have worked a lot on the electronics and it is difficult to see the improvements with each of our releases. But we're making progress, that's for sure, and that allowed me to quickly get into the rhythm this morning. In the race, I still lose a lot of ground in a straight line. All Yamahas seem to suffer from the same problem, me a little more than the others. I found myself in a fight in a group where I couldn't do what I wanted. By following the others, I am unable to exploit the bike's strong point, namely corner entry. We will try to make some more improvements for tomorrow. We don't give up and we fight as hard as we can on a track that doesn't completely suit our bike. »

Aragón 2 Sunday (Superpole Race — 11th / Race 2 — 8th): « Finally something positive in Aragón after suffering for two weeks! We never gave up and continued to work as hard as possible. We found small solutions and, little by little, we improved the bike to get closer to the level of other Yamahas. During Race 2, Toprak braked very early entering a corner due to a problem with one of his tires. To avoid hitting him, I pulled straight ahead and went very far away. But I gradually recovered, enjoying myself. I think I had one of the best paces among the Yamaha riders. I managed to overtake Marco Melandri, Garrett Gerloff and Federico Caricasulo on the last lap to finish eighth. This is not the result we were aiming for, but this circuit is very complicated for the Yamaha and we had not carried out any tests before the two meetings. In the future, I think we will have to participate in these trials in order to save time. In any case, a big thank you to the whole team who never give up and who constantly support me. I think it will be easier at the end of the season. I would like to take this opportunity to wish a speedy recovery to my friend Jules Cluzel. I hope he recovers quickly. »

The Ten Kate driver, still in the running for an official saddle in 2021, currently occupies 9th place in the championship thanks to 76 points, halfway between the official R1s and those of the GRT.