Upon his return to Europe after competing in the Yamaha Finance Australian Round, Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Team) has undergone several medical tests to understand the extent of his right shoulder injury, which he sustained on Friday in FP2. After X-rays back in his home country of France, the rider has secured a full diagnosis, which is a non-displaced fracture of the greater tubercle (troquiter) and he will require a week of rest and some physiotherapy sessions.

The BMW rider was relieved to hear the news, as it was also suspected that he could have an injury to his tendons, which would have complicated his recovery. With plenty of time before the next round of the WorldSBK championship in Thailand, Baz hopes to return to the track in perfect physical condition.

Baz explains to WorldSBK: “On my way back from Australia I went to the La Tour Hospital in Switzerland to meet Dr. Finn Mahler, who is used to working on my injuries. I had an X-ray and Arthro-IRM on my shoulder, and he suspected a rotator cuff lesion, which would have been a problem. Fortunately I only suffered from a fracture of the right humeral head. It is not displaced so I don’t need surgery, and it will take between three and five weeks for a complete recovery. I will spend the next few days resting before attending a few rehabilitation sessions, in order to get some strength back before the second round in Thailand. I don’t know if I will be fully fit, but I managed to race the day after my crash, so I don’t think there should be any particular problem after one month of recovering.”

Despite facing some discomfort throughout the weekend after Friday’s crash, the French rider competed in the first two races of the season - in which he secured 11th and 9th position finishes which put him in ninth in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship standings.