After being advised by doctors Angel Chartre and Xavier Mir, Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) will sit out this weekend’s GoPro British Grand Prix as he continues to recover from collarbone and back injuries sustained at the Czech GP.
With test rider Mika Kallio sidelined for the rest of the season and stand in test rider Randy de Puniet not wanting to race before testing the RC-16, this has paved the way for Loris Baz to make a Grand Prix return after leaving the paddock at the end of last season to join Gulf Althea BMW Racing Team in WorldSBK.
The Frenchman spent three years in the premier class before his switch back to WorldSBK and now, Baz visits a Silverstone circuit he picked up his only two World Superbike wins at – 2012 Race 1 and 2013 Race 2.
Loris Baz: "Pol was hoping to ride but his recovery still needs a bit of time. I would therefore like to wish him a speedy recovery. My manager informed me about this opportunity on Monday afternoon and the agreement was reached very quickly. I would like to thank Genesio Bevilacqua from team Althea BMW Racing for allowing me to race at Silverstone. A huge thanks to him because without his permission it would not have been possible. I am pleased that KTM thought about me, because it is a big team. I will make the most of it, enjoy it and try to have a good weekend. I am not setting myself any objectives. I will see people I have previously worked with in MotoGP. This is an official team and I am going to do my best to help the team in Pol’s absence. I think there is no better way to prepare myself for the remainder of the WorldSBK season!"