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While the gap between the Indonesian and Dutch Rounds has given teams in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship a chance to test, one rider who was missing from the Catalunya test was Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW). The French rider suffered fractures to his right leg and ankle following a crash with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in the Tissot Superpole Race and Baz has provided a further update on his recovery including the next steps which may allow him to potentially return to action for the Dutch Round.

Baz previously discussed the stages of his recovery he would have to tackle as he looked to be back on the bike as soon as possible, as well as the crash itself and admitting his target was to be back on the M 1000 RR at Assen. The 30-year-old has now provided a further update on his recovery, including his plans for the next few weeks in order to be in the best possible shape with his ankle and leg as soon as possible.

Giving an update on his ankle, Baz said: “My ankle is recovering in a good way. It’s improving every day. I’m happy. Last week, I was allowed to start putting some weight on the foot again and start with the physio. This week, I’ve been allowed to start cycling again. Everything is improving. I’m doing some physio and then I walk a lot at home on the foot. I have everything to improve as much as I can. I just need to get back the strength in the foot and the mobility. At the moment, the ankle is still a bit locked. I’m walking and trying to get the upper leg strong again to stabilise the knee because the knee is the most painful at the moment, and the most disturbing thing is the knee more than the ankle.

“There’s not many things to do with the knee. The ligament is broken but there’s no surgery to do, it just needs time to heal by itself. If you have some muscle, the knee will be more stable and less painful. Because I was not allowed to move for three weeks, I lost all the muscle in the leg, so the knee got worse. I’m now trying to get the muscle back in the leg. It’s not really easy. The ankle’s still painful and the knee is painful so, for sure, since Monday I’m allowed to cycle again, and I have some exercises to help. It’s in a good way. Everyone’s happy and pretty surprised how well it’s healing. The first time I went to the physio, he could not believe it was only two weeks after surgery! On Friday, it’ll be four weeks. It’s still a bit early but the target is to be at Assen. I have to put this goal in my mind and I’m doing everything I can for this.”

Baz will have to pass medical checks in order to race at the Dutch Round after being declared unfit at Mandalika following his injuries, but, before that, he outlined the process he will go through with his surgeon who he will meet with on the 14^th April. The meeting with the surgeon is to check everything is healing as expected with the ligaments in his ankle and knee following the surgery he had not long after the accident. 

He said: “At the moment, I’m keeping with the same process. I’m training, having physio and trying to make the swelling go down day by day. It’s still a bit swollen but it’s normal. It’ll be the same process until the Dutch Round. Next Friday, on the 14^th, I will see the surgeon again and have an x-ray and then that’s when we’re going to decide for Assen. At the moment, with how I’m feeling now, I’m pretty sure I’ll be at Assen, but we have to make the final decision with the surgeon on the 14^th It’s mainly the ankle. There’s nothing to worry about so much with the knee. The knee is just painful and disturbing but nothing bad can happen. The foot was a pretty bad surgery. All the ligaments were gone, and they had to put the ligaments in the bone again. We need to be sure. It’s 99% sure it’s healing well because I would not be walking if it was not healing. We need an x-ray and check-up up to be sure it’s okay to be racing at Assen.”

Baz has been posting pictures and videos of his recovery on social media in order to keep his supporters up to date with his recovery, but he has also been joking around on there. Not long after he started being able to walk around the house again after three weeks of not moving, Baz posted a video of him on Twitter with the caption “marathon tomorrow” as he remained in good spirits. 

Discussing the importance of remaining positive in difficult moments, Baz said: “We have to try in any way to keep good spirits. When I crashed, I was really in a lot of pain and really disappointed. Ten minutes later, I was joking with Eugene and laughing with him. It’s a bit how we are and our spirit. I’m not going to complain and cry for hours. It doesn’t help anything, and the best is to just have fun. I know the process really well and I think my body knows the process so that’s also why I think riders recover quicker than average people. It’s because our bodies know the process after a while and we just keep going through the same process of injuries and as soon as I was injured, I was led in the garage, taking off my leathers, and I was already thinking about the recovery and the surgeon. I’m lucky that I have a good group of surgeons and hospitals around me that follow me since I had my first big injury ten years ago. Eugene went from being in the helicopter in his last race to being in the ambulance in his second race as a coach and team manager! He knows the process in both ways now. We all know that and it’s cool to be able to joke with Eugene while we were in the ambulance going to the hospital; trying to make the bad moment a bit better.”

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