De Paul Gozzi / Corsedimoto.com
Does the Frenchman still have the 2019 Yamaha or did he leave in 2020 as his fairing suggests? Here is the answer.
Loris Baz goes very fast during the tests in Australia, and, with his Yamaha, he threatens to become one of the absolute protagonists of Superbike. But, from the track, during the Phillip Island tests, there was a doubt: is his YZF-R1 still in the 2019 version or Ten Kate, without declaring it to the four winds, would have upgraded it in 2020, in including the officials' package Michael van der Mark and Toprak Razgatlioglu ? The question is legitimate, because the 2020 differs from the old one, mainly in the front fairing, which has a single air intake, much larger than the previous version. And Loris Baz, in Australia, drives with the big air intake…
DO NOT BE FOOLED BY APPEARANCES
Andrea Dosoli, head of racing operations at Yamaha Europe, clarifies things. “ In fact, Loris Baz uses some parts of the new model's fairing », He explains. " Not only the top of the fairing, but also the tank and the seat. But the engine is a 2019, like the rest of the bike. Even the airbox is the old one, although the front air intake is the much more generously sized one fitted on the 2020s. »
QUESTION… OF MONEY
Kate's techs haven't gone crazy, it's just a matter of budget. The Dutch team, badly separated from Honda at the end of 2018 after more than twenty years of collaboration, returned to competition in the middle of last season. But it still does not have a major sponsor, so the “cost control” aspect is essential. Loris Baz, for the moment, has to settle for a Yamaha “ 2019 and a half", cas Dosoli explained. In the plans, there is the transition (that is to say: the purchase…) to the new motorcycle, while the world championship has started. It is clear that the results of Loris Baz will influence, also because Ten Kate's hidden hope is that Yamaha Europe will give a consistent boost to the completion of the operation. The 2020 Yamaha has a more powerful engine, more efficient aerodynamics and other small details that make a big difference. Loris Baz is just waiting for an injection of additional horses.
Photo: Matteo De Col
