Loris Baz, a wet race winner for the Kawasaki Racing Team back in 2012, had a great recent podium experience at Assen, securing a hard-fought and fully deserved third place in race two in dry conditions. This result has proved that the second regular Kawasaki Racing Team rider in the 2013 entry list is now a contender with the established top runners, despite being only 20 years of age. Baz is sixth in the table after three rounds, just five points behind Jonathan Rea as the Monza weekend approaches.
‰ÛÏAfter the last round I needed some time to relax after doing the Bol d‰ÛªOr 24-Hour race the weekend before, then going straight to Assen to race in SBK," Baz said. "I was not tired even after the races in the Netherlands but when I got back home I was getting more tired and more tired all the time.
"Last Wednesday I was destroyed! I trained just a little bit that week but now I have started training hard again. I was really happy with the podium at Assen and it has come along early in the season, earlier than we expected. We knew we were faster than last year in the dry but it is clear everybody has done a good job and we will continue to work in the same positive way.
"I am confident for this weekend. I know the track at Monza is totally different from Assen and in some ways it looks like it may not be the best track for us. But I am confident because we have made a good improvement in this kind of track, after our performances at Aragon, even in the parts with slower corners. I won a Superstock 600 race at Monza in 2008 and I like the circuit. It has a really fast straight and although we know some other bikes are going to be fast there, we also have a good engine. I feel we can be maybe top five or top six, and that is always the same target," the Frenchman concluded.
Main Photo: Tom Sykes
Credit: Kawasaki Racing
