By clothing-bag, 01/05/2022

Loris Baz leaves MotoAmerica to return to Superbikes: he will trade his Ducati Panigale V4 R for a BMW M 1000 RR

Loris Baz's spectacular performance in the rounds where he has replaced Chaz Davies in the Go Eleven team has not gone unnoticed in the Superbike paddock. In fact, the French rider already has a team for next season: he will ride a satellite BMW M 1000 RR at Bonovo.

Baz has ridden a Ducati Panigale V4 R throughout the season in the MotoAmerica championship, in the Superbike category, where he has achieved nine podium finishes. However, Baz has already announced that he will not continue in the United States, and, although it is not yet official, it seems a given that he will end up at BMW.

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Loris Baz was chosen by Ducati to replace the injured Davies in both Jerez and Portimao, and the results leave no room for doubt: two podium finishes in five races, a fourth place, a sixth and a worst ninth result. In other words, Baz has more podium finishes than Davies had done all year.

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Taking into account that Davies has already announced his retirement, it seemed logical that Baz would occupy that Ducati Panigale V4 R next season, but it will not be like that. The latest information suggests that Baz would have committed to BMW to drive in the Bonovo in 2022, and the announcement is imminent.

This election is a bump for both Tom Sykes and Jonas Folger. It seems that the first, a true world champion, is going to lose his place in the Superbikes and maybe he will return to the BSB, while Folger was the one who had that bike in the Bonovo and now he is also left out. If there is another BMW M 1000 RR on the grid, it will go to Eugene Laverty.

Baz is a true motorcycle all-rounder. In addition to racing in MotoAmerica, he has competed in three MotoGP seasons, touching the podium on occasion with a Ducati, he has raced in endurance and has extensive experience in the Superbike World Championship, even having won two races when he rode for Kawasaki.

In addition to Baz's move, there has recently been another move in the Superbike market that is now official: Luca Bernardi comes up from Supersport to ride a Ducati Panigale V4 R at Barni Racing. The man from San Marino signs for two seasons and will be the substitute for Tito Rabat in the structure.

With much of the grid already confirmed, and in the absence of Honda announcing Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge as its factory riders, the great interest of the Superbike market is in the satellite structures. We will see if there Isaac Viñales manages to keep his place and Tito Rabat is able to find a hole. It would be the most Spanish grill in history.

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