Round eight of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship arrives in sunny California, and with it another challenge for Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) in his WorldSBK return. The Frenchman faces a track he hasn’t visited since 2014, at a time when competition is tougher than at any point this season.

Several teams stepped up their game last round at Brno, with the Aprilia and Honda bikes pushing ahead into the top-10. Baz was out of the points for the first time this season in Race 1 and could only scratch back five more on Sunday, dropping behind Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) and Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) in the standings as a result. Tough times for the young Frenchman, who has nonetheless shown plenty promise in his second WorldSBK stint.

This will only be Baz’s second appearance at the Californian circuit (he missed the 2013 round with an injury). A repeat of his results at Laguna in 2014 (ninth in Race 1 and sixth in Race 2) would represent a satisfactory return to form for the Frenchman, who will hope to face the weekend in better conditions than four years ago: “I’ve only raced there once in fact, in 2014, and loved the place but had a terrible weekend, sick with flu. So, I’m looking forward to getting there and enjoying the ride, it will be easier now that I know the track”.

“I don’t know how it will work with the BMW but the team and I will do all we can to extract its maximum potential”, adds Baz.

The Geico US Round is approaching fast, and we want you to be a part of it! Join the WorldSBK riders on their stunning visit stateside thanks to the WorldSBK VideoPass.