Avintia Ducati’s Loris Baz is still not feeling 100 per cent fit ahead of this weekend’s Motegi MotoGP round but is a lot better than he was at Aragon.

The lanky Frenchman, who suffered a broken foot in his Silverstone tangle with Pol Espargaro, says he will be able to get into a rhythm for the three back-to-back race weekends, starting on Friday in Japan.

“The season has been tough for me and with two consecutive injuries, I was physically and mentally exhausted. I was able to ride my bike at Aragon, but I was far from the physical shape you need to ride these bikes,” said Baz.

“But I’m more fit now, not at 100%, but much better than three weeks ago. To have three races in three weekends is perfect for me, as I’ll be able to get the rhythm back. Last year, my race at Motegi was not good, but I think that it will be different with Ducati.

“This bike is very stable under braking and although we don’t have winglets to avoid wheelies, I think that we can be competitive. We’ll see how the weather will be as rain is quite common in Motegi.”