WSBK – Interview Loris Baz: “Bosser to come back to play with Rea, Davies and Sykes” – Used BMW

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Interview Loris Baz: "Work to come back to play with Rea, Davies and Sykes"

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

The 31st World Superbike season kicks off this weekend at Phillip Island (Australia). France, absent from the championship last year, is aiming for new medals thanks to the – big? – return of our – great! – Loris Baz. Site spoke to new BMW driver Althea. Interview.

The season officially opens this Friday February 23, to take advantage of the summer that reigns on the other side of the earth: at! The final preparations are taking place right now on the Australian circuit.

Among the drivers involved in this 31st WorldSBK season – there! -, Le Journal moto du Net closely monitors a name: Baz, Loris Baz, eleventh time of the first day of testing (last night) at the controls of his , .

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

The only BMW rider on the field, "Bazooka" is also – and above all – our only representative: the French clan must however be delighted since last year, following the official Yamaha team, not one of the WorldSBK riders was from the hexagon…

The joy of French fans of World Superbike – and readers of Site – is all the greater this year as it is a giant of the discipline – in size as in talent – which is trying to make its comeback, after three hard years in MotoGP on motorcycles not competitive enough.

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

Despite the time difference and his very busy schedule, Loris Baz was kind enough to answer Site’s questions. The word to the "Snow Cheetah" therefore, fifth of, his last season in WorldSBK and his only complete…

Site: Hi Loris, how are you ?
Loris Baz: I’m good what about you ?

MNC: Alright, thank you. It’s a bit chilly to ride a motorcycle in Paris, but you’ve been on Phillip Island for a few days! It’s cool, the weather is nice and warm, and it’s more practical to follow the Olympics ?!
L. B .: That’s exactly what I told myself, the times are better to follow the Olympics, that’s cool. Afterwards, the weather is nice and all, but it was quite windy today, it was boring to ride. It’s still great to be here, it’s a little paradise !

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: There are athletes at the Winter Olympics that you know and follow more closely ?
L. B .: I am passionate about sports in general! There are disciplines that I like more or less, but I watched as many events as possible and in any case I followed a maximum of results. Yesterday I experienced Martin’s second gold medal on Eurosport’s Written Live: not easy and stressful enough! The fact of waiting, refreshing the page and not having the result! But he did it, I’m happy for him (a shoe length, editor’s note).

MNC: If you hadn’t been a motorcycle rider, you would have broken into another discipline, no ?
L. B .: I don’t know … I wanted to be a motorcycle rider since I was little! But it’s true that I am attracted to a lot of other sports. Alpine skiing could have been a possibility because there are a lot of similarities with motorcycles and I like it. But from an early age I preferred motorcycles to skiing: I didn’t even want to go skiing, I wanted to ride! Now, if I was given back my 10 years, I might do a little more skiing, but motorcycles would still be my priority.

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: Let’s talk about motorcycles! When you left WorldSBK at the end of 2014, Rea replaced you at Kawa et a. You would have had to stay with Kawa after all ?
L. B .: No…

MNC: … (laughs)
L. B .: (laughs) No, no. For me this question does not make sense. In any case I do not understand that it is asked to me, because I always said when leaving that I was leaving a motorcycle to be Superbike world champion and that I was going to Grand Prix in teams that were a little less good, on machines a little worse, but that I was pursuing my childhood dream. I wanted to try to break into GP and know another environment. I was never surprised by Rea’s titles, because we all knew he was good, we all knew the level of this team and this bike. Today I’m back in World Superbike and I have no regrets. It’s a new adventure that begins. Again, if I was given the opportunity to go back three years, I wouldn’t change a thing.

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: What do you remember from your three seasons in MotoGP ?
L. B .: Lots of things, especially good ones. Even if my journey was a little complicated from the start, with the signing in a team that broke the contract before the start of the season, the Forward team then with the boss who served in prison while we were on the point of signing with Yamaha to get good machines the following season … There were some, sticks in the wheels! Despite everything, I am happy because I managed to prove that I could ride in GP, ​​that I had the level, while some people were not giving much of my skin. They said I was too tall, too heavy, too much, too much, too much. A lot of people said I wouldn’t last six months and I did three seasons, got ten top 10s on complicated bikes. I remember a lot of things, I keep in mind the good races, I keep in touch with the beautiful people I have met. It wasn’t all magic in GP, ​​but I’m very happy that Forward gave me my chance, then Avintia two years in a row despite our first season marked by a lot of injuries … which are part of the bad memories of these three years. I remember above all that I am much stronger as a pilot.

MNC: Have you improved in piloting? And on other levels too: mental, training, media ?
L. B .: In riding of course, when you ride for three years with the best riders in the world on a slightly less good motorcycle, you have to force yourself to be at their level. It allowed me to progress, there is no doubt about it. Mentally too because it was not easy to fight for three years, to bounce back from injuries … Physically also because it is yet another level to race in Grand Prix. I learned a lot of other things, I increased my knowledge by riding on two different brands of tires, on two different machines too. All this will help me achieve my goals in Superbike.

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: We also remember! You were in the running for the most beautiful free figure … but Marquez won again with his loss in front in Valencia. This guy is too strong, no ?
L. B .: Yes, after that depends … There have been several polls on this subject and in some I finished ahead! But given the exceptional context – he was playing the title! -, I must admit that his is much more beautiful: it’s worth a 10/10, even more! Marc Marquez is strong, he has the ability to catch up often. We see these catches because it is often on TV, but more and more pilots are getting there. I haven’t done just one, and Redding has also made some beautiful ones … I think it’s thanks to the tires: they allow you to go further and further and to feel better and better the limit.

MNC: In WorldSBK Rea is also very strong. Too strong perhaps, in the sense that it crushes the competition and kills the suspense ?
L. B .: As I said earlier, we have to take the whole into account. The team is excellent, I know what I’m talking about because I have driven at home, the machine is excellent, the driver was very good when he arrived. If you take one element out of the equation, the chemistry disappears. This is what is complicated, making sure that everything combines, that everything goes well together. He’s in it, he wins races and titles, he builds up confidence and keeps winning.

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: Rea and his Kawasaki team find themselves in a virtuous circle. But we, as the media, find that …
L. B .: Yes, but it’s not their fault at all, it’s because of their competitors! And then there were plenty of periods in Superbike where one rider dominated, but the attraction of the championship did not wane because the other riders were characters. I quite agree with Fogarty’s latest statements: according to him, what Superbike lacks at the moment are riders who have big mouths, who are clearly not there to make friends but to fight. In recent years the competition may have been a bit lacking, although Davies is doing a great job. We remember that the first years of the Ducati (Panigale, editor’s note) were complicated, it was perhaps not as good as the Kawa at the base. But Chaz fought, he gives everything he has and he had three great seasons.

MNC: The Kawasaki are the best at the moment, followed by the Ducati and the Yamaha. can they level the levels ?
L. B .: Little by little, the organizers must ensure that all the teams, including those with less resources, can fight for victory. Or at least to allow them to aim for good places and reduce the gaps. This is what was done in MotoGP: the Grand Prix were boring to death, the rules were revised and the races have never been so good. A lot of drivers are fighting for the podium, quite a few have won races. WorldSBK is following this direction.

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: In your opinion, the establishment of maximum regime limits and price caps on certain parts is the right way to go ?
L. B .: I don’t think the changes planned for this year will have a huge impact, but it’s a start. We had to intervene, but it was a bit late in the season to impose a new deal on all manufacturers. In my opinion, in order to re-involve the manufacturers and give the small teams their chances, we must do what has been done in MotoGP.

MNC: You think about ?
L. B .: Yes, that’s great. If we take electronics out of the equation, adding 10 or 15 people to a team that already has a mechanic at each position will not make the bike move faster. On the other hand, add a dozen engineers on the electronics, and there, it goes faster! Add 10 more and it will get even better. The electronics are limitless, it’s improving all the time, and that’s what allows teams with a lot of budget to make the difference. So managing electronics is really great for me. On the other hand, we must not forget that in GP, ​​the Dorna also financially helps the small teams and obliges the manufacturers to rent them motorcycles…

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: This is not the case in World Superbike ?
L. B .: I don’t know exactly, I’m not a team manager, I’m a pilot! I think these are things that need to be put in place, bearing in mind of course that World Superbike does not generate as much money as Grands Prix. But these are good ideas that could make the WorldSBK field more homogeneous.

MNC: Exactly, despite less resources, we saw at the Jerez tests in particular that the best WSBK riders and bikes managed to run in times comparable to those of MotoGP. How do you explain it ?
L. B .: It always has been, look …

MNC: … Site readers remember it well !
L. B .: Faster than Marquez and as fast as the Stoner circuit record at the time. And I remember the winter tests in Jerez where we were shooting a few tenths of a second from MotoGP. When you see the times in front of your computer at home, you can be shocked. But we must not forget that in Superbike, we have the qualifying tire: it’s already a second saved in Jerez! In GP, ​​the qualifying tires are the same as the race tires. And depending on the circuit, the differences between MotoGP and World Superbike are more or less large, depending on the characteristics of the tires more or less suited to the track, the motorcycles and their power. The times in tests are not the same as in the race … It does not fully reflect reality. On the other hand, it proves that there is a huge level in Superbike.

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: Do you think World Superbike riders are underestimated? ?
L. B .: I’ve always said and defended it, the guys ahead in WorldSBK are very, very fast. The results of WorldSBK riders who are given a chance, compared to those who come from Moto2, are not bad: Cal Crutchlow for example is a rider who has won races, who is ahead. I am convinced that without his big injury Ben Spies would still be here. There is a big level in Superbike, it is undeniable.

MNC: You mentioned the Pirelli qualifying tires. In your statements this winter,. Do you know what is due? Your team has ideas to solve this ?
L. B .: This is first of all due to my three seasons in Grand Prix precisely, without having a qualifying tire which offers a lot more grip over a lap or two. You have to get used to it again, it’s another piloting, a special exercise. When I arrived in Superbike, it took almost a season to adapt, to poles and to the front lines. Afterwards, this is also a characteristic of the "Behem": I have to help the team understand what it needs to operate a new tire because it is a problem they already had last year. We really feel the benefit of the grip but we can’t use it. We made a little progress in Portimao, today in Phillip Island (last night, editor’s note) it was not bad. It’s a set of things to deal with.

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: By the way, our congratulations to Franck Millet who manages your communication, and to you for the videos you posted this winter. It may be complicated to continue during the season with the Dorna which locks everything, no ?
L. B .: Yes, these videos are really nice, Franck does a very good job! We will surely make new ones on the next tests. We won’t be able to do a lot, and it will be impossible on race weekends, but there will surely be more, yes.

MNC: You have obviously followed the course of races in WorldSBK in recent seasons. Seen from the outside, you get the impression that the Pirelli are struggling to go the distance and that to win, you have to save your tires. Can we hope for thunderous endings from you on the BMW? How do you feel ?
L. B .: We will have the answer on Sunday … Finally, Saturday! It’s complicated to say before the real pre-race practice. What is certain is that the Pirelli have always had a notable degradation between the start and the end of the race. This is one of the characteristics of these very good tires with this "drop". But it’s for everyone the same.

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: This is one factor to be taken into account among many others…
L. B .: Yes that’s it. And I find it interesting: you have to know how to save your tires, which is far from easy, and know how to manage your races. It’s up to you to pay attention at the start, even when you have the adrenaline of the attack of the first laps, to take care of your rubber and to know what to save for the end of the race.

MNC: Torres in 2015, Hayden in 2016, Melandri in 2017 … Only three drivers have beaten Rea, Sykes and Davies in the last three seasons. The motorcycles of the three Britons go fast, but do they have other advantages ?
L. B .: The situation makes perfect sense in fact, the best riders are on the best machines which makes them very hard to beat … It’s up to us to work as best as possible to change that. In your statistics, I am one of the last to have fought with them, even if I did not win a race in 2014. But I was still on a dozen podiums. I’m going to work as hard as possible to come back and play with them…

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: In terms of work precisely, and the development of your S1000RR, do you consider that being the only rider in your team is a handicap or an advantage? ?
L. B .: Everything depends on his way of seeing things, his working method. Althea used to take on a single rider in the past, they were world champions like that with Carlos Checa (and the Ducati 1098 R in top form, Editor’s note). It’s a small group, a family that has worked together for a long time and I find it very nice to have them all around me. After on electronics or other aspects, it can actually be good to have a teammate to cross the data. But if the other rider has a completely different riding style, the team goes in two completely different directions. It can quickly become counterproductive. The current situation suits me, it works well in the team. We work well, everyone is motivated to go and win the best places possible.

MNC: Leon Camier, alone for three years at MV Agusta, did really well in 2017…
L. B .: Yes, same thing in MotoGP with Crutchlow who has been alone at Honda LCR for years, and it works for them. Ditto for Checa who was alone at Althea in 2011 and won the title by dominating completely against big teams which had two drivers. It means nothing.

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: Jordi Torres, whom you are "replacing", entered the Top 6 five times last year. You have good hope to do better ?
L. B .: Yes, I hope anyway. I think right now the bike can finish consistently in the top seven or eight. We are working to get it into the Top 5. It would be great to start doing it this weekend. Then I hope to get on the podium.

MNC: Your contract at BMW Althea runs for 2018 only? You are already thinking a bit about 2019, when the official handlebars will be released ?
L. B .: I’m in contract with Althea for this 2018 season and that’s good. I hope that with all the changes planned, BMW will support our project more, or even officially re-engage in World Superbike..

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: It’s imaginable ?
L. B .: Yes it is possible. For now, what I would like for 2019 is to ride with the official BMW "Factory" support within the same Althea team. A bit like Kawasaki which works with the Spanish team Provec. This is the dream plan for 2019.

MNC: The BMW factory did not come very far from the title with Melandri in 2012…
L. B .: It was their last year and they almost became world champions. They rolled Davies too, Corser, Haslam, Xaus, etc. They have decided to leave, but they will surely come back one day. I hope it will be next year…

MNC: … they will come back if you do well !
L. B .: (Smile). Yes, it’s up to us to motivate them !

WSBK - Interview Loris Baz:

MNC: Rea released the # 65 in World Superbike … But the # 76 he kind of forced you to take has become your "official" number. You keep it for life ?
L. B .: Yes I keep it, for sure. The question is no longer asked. I was riding with the n ° 65, it was my heart number, that of the pilot who starts and wears the number of his idol (Loris Capirossi of course, Editor’s note), but now that people have identified me as the n ° 76, I keep it.

MNC: However, we wish you to lose it one day, when you become world champion !
L. B .: I might keep number 76, I don’t know. You think of that kind of thing once you get the title (laughs).

MNC: Thanks Loris for giving us so much time. Have a great night, a great second day of testing and a great first weekend of racing !
L. B .: You’re welcome for the interview, and thanks for the encouragement. Ciao !

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