Loris Baz kicked off his return to full-time WorldSBK action with the Jerez winter test as part of the Bonovo BMW Racing Team.
Having last competed aboard the BMW S 1000 RR back in 2018, and following a brief foray to MotoAmerica, Baz was back in Europe to familiarise himself with his new M RR alongside 2022 teammate Eugene Laverty and factory riders Michael van der Mark and Scott Redding.
Completing over 150 laps around the 4.4km layout, the Frenchman was determined to refamiliarise himself with the German marque having spent the past few years on both Yamaha and Ducati machinery. He ended the two days sixth in the unofficial standings with a fastest time of 1’40.797, one second back from van der Mark’s session-topping best and three-tenths down on Laverty.
“I am happy to be back with BMW and about the opportunity to be back in WorldSBK,” Baz said on Thursday. “I was really looking forward to that test to have a first impression. A December test is never the most crucial one of the season but it’s really important for getting to know the team, to meet the people and for the feeling you are going into the winter with.
“The test was a lot of work, we did a lot of laps. Also, I was back on the bike after nearly three months and it is never easy when you jump on a bike that is completely different. The test was about understanding how the bike works and also to try to give the best input based on the differences of all the bikes I know.
I have ridden a lot of bikes in WorldSBK so I was trying to adapt to the bike and at the same time give the right input on what we can improve on that bike. The M RR has a lot of strong points, we just need to put them together to get a bike that works well from a riding side. When you start working with a new bike, you have to switch from one riding style to another but we did a good job, completing over 150 laps.
"Yes, I am happy. We tried some new parts for next year and mainly a lot of things on the electronics, and with every run we went faster and I felt a bit more confident on the bike. I am satisfied with the job so far.”
