Top ten for Gulf Althea BMW at Phillip Island

The first round of the 2018 Superbike World Championship concluded today at the Phillip Island track in Australia. The Gulf Althea BMW Racing team and Loris Baz, having finished yesterday’s opening race in eleventh position despite the rider’s injured shoulder, improved on that performance in race 2 today, crossing the line in ninth place. Superbike - Race 2 – after a safety concern yesterday, it was decided that in today’s race, riders would be obliged to come in for a pit-stop with tyre change between the tenth and twelfth lap. Starting from fourteenth on the grid, Baz made up two places through the first corners, positioning twelfth after one lap. Getting into a good rhythm, the Frenchman was lying eleventh when he came in for the tyre change. Tenth as he headed back onto the track, Loris earned another position on lap thirteen. Maintaining a good pace all the way to the finish line, Baz completed a solid race today, crossing the line ninth. At the end of this opening round, the 12 points scored by Loris Baz place him ninth in the general standings. The Gulf Althea BMW racing team will be back on track, at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand, over the weekend of 23-25 March.

"Today's race was fun. My shoulder was painful but not as bad as yesterday. I made a good start, though after five or six laps I started to struggle a little with both rear grip and my shoulder. With the second tyre things were a bit better and I was able to fight with Torres in the final stages. But I was limited in what I could do, especially when trying to pass and through the right-handers. I’m pleased I could finish both races and score a few points though. Now I will focus on recovering ahead of Thailand.” “This opening round in Australia was conditioned by our rider’s physical condition but we reacted well and worked to score points. We were also able to verify our work in the flag-to-flag, which went well. We don’t yet have a clear idea as to where we’ll position in future races but the signs are positive. The team has done a great job, because after Loris’ crash in practice, we thought he wouldn’t even be able to race. But our rider, the professional that he is, gritted his teeth and we’ve done well. I'm pleased with the work of both rider and team.”