Loris Baz returns to the Superbike World Championship: he will ride a Ducati in the Cremona round

In a surprise move, the French rider will return to compete in the production-derived championship: during the SBK weekend in Italy, he will have to replace an absent colleague.

Loris Baz will also be on the grid for the Superbike World Championship round taking place at Cremona Circuit next weekend. Tarran Mackenzie’s absence forces the MGM Optical Express team to field a substitute, and the choice has fallen on the 33-year-old Frenchman, who already boasts extensive experience in the category: he raced there from 2012 to 2023, collecting a total of 2 wins and 20 podiums in 208 starts.

Mackenzie was seriously injured during the WorldSBK round at Donington Park, where he sustained fractures to his left collarbone, left shoulder blade, and the tibia and fibula of his left leg following a heavy crash at Goddard’s during practice. The Scottish rider subsequently underwent surgery for the tibia and fibula fractures, aiming to return for the Magny-Cours round. However, he did not receive medical clearance to race in France, where the MGM Optical Express team had decided not to replace him.

Mackenzie’s physical recovery is progressing, but his condition is still not optimal, and therefore Michael Galinski’s squad has chosen to entrust its Ducati Panigale V4 R to Baz for the Superbike weekend at Cremona Circuit. The French rider has already worked with Galinski in 2022–2023, when the MGM team was linked to BMW.

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