Assen (The Netherlands), Sunday 22 April 2018
The Gulf Althea BMW Racing Team and rider Loris Baz has completed the Assen World Superbike weekend with an eighth-place finish in race 2, while, in the Superstock 1000 category, Alessandro Delbianco has also brought the BMW home in eighth position.
Superbike – Race 2 – Baz lined up in fourth place on today’s grid after having finished seventh in yesterday’s race 1. Losing a few positions off the line, the Frenchman was lying eighth after the opening. Able to get into a good rhythm, the Gulf Althea BMW rider was able to move up into seventh on lap five but, part of a small group comprising four riders, he then lost ground through the central phase. Ninth at the mid-race point, he started to suffer with the tyres in the later stages but, despite this, was able to make up one place through the final corners to cross the line in eighth place.
STK1000 – Race – eleventh on the grid, Delbianco got off to a very determined start, already up in fifth place through the opening corners. Losing one position early on, the Italian was lying sixth right up until lap nine. At this point a real battle for sixth broke out between him, Vitali and Buehn. Young Delbianco did very well to defend himself from his rivals’ attacks, holding on until the very last lap, and final corners, where he unfortunately dropped two positions. Crossing the line eighth, Alessandro thus scored his first points of the season.
After four WorldSBK rounds, Baz is now ninth in the general standings with 44 points. Delbianco has scored his first points, 8, to place twelfth in the Stock1000 championship. BMW now positions fifth in the SBK manufacturer’s classification with 44 points.
“Another good day, despite a massive crash in the morning’s warm-up. A highside into turn 4 threw me practically into turn 5 but thanks to the Alpinestars airbag, I was unhurt and able to compete in the race. I didn’t make a great start to the race and was fighting with some of the same guys as yesterday. My feeling wasn’t as good as in race 1, particularly with the front, so I couldn’t push as hard as I did yesterday. I had some good battles with the group anyway, fighting for P6 at one point and finishing P8 in the end. We’ve definitely taken a step forward which is good, and we have a test next week in which I hope we can take another, as this would help us to be more competitive at Imola, which will be a tough one.”
“I’m really happy with my race, the first I’ve finished, and I was able to cross the line eighth, a very good result. I was fighting for fifth but unfortunately am also suffering with a forearm problem; it started to really hurt, especially in the later stages, and so I couldn’t push as I wanted. We’ve scored a great result anyway and I want to thank the team for all their hard work.”
“A very positive weekend, in which we have finally started to get back on the right track after a season start that has failed to meet with our expectations. Let’s say that, in a complicated context, we are starting to see the light. Unfortunately this morning’s crash somewhat conditioned Loris’ performance in the race but, in general, the level has been raised, both yesterday and today. As for the Stock, Delbianco is still paying for his lack of experience but he entertained us today, making some passes the likes of which we’ve not seen before. He was also lacking the physical preparation needed to ride a 1000 cc bike, but I’d say he’s proved to have what it takes today. All in all, a good result for both Superbike and Superstock.”
