World Superbike: Salom To Replace Injured Baz At Laguna
Cycle News Staff | September 23, 2013
Kawasaki’s Loris Baz joins the rather long list of World Superbike casualties with the young Frenchman forced out of this weekend’s round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as he continues to recover from the neck injury he suffered in the German round. Baz will be replaced at Laguna Seca by World Superport racer David Salom.
Salom is not a complete stranger to Superbikes as he raced for the privateer Pedercini Kawasaki team last year.
“I am very happy that the decision was made to allow me to ride the official Superbike at Laguna Seca,” Salom said in a press release. “This is a new opportunity for me and for sure it will be difficult. The track is new to me and this machine is not the same as the one I rode last year. So I have a lot of learning to do, even though this is a great opportunity for me.”
Salom currently races a Kawasaki for the Intermoto team and will resume his World Supersport duties at the following round in Magny Cours.
Baz is recovering from his high-speed crash in morning warm-up at Nurburgring. It was suspected that he suffered broken vertebra, but doctors’ opinions varied as to whether it was new or old damage. The young Frenchman showed up in Turkey intent on riding, but after final medical checks it was decided that he should sit out the race and await further evaluation before Laguna.
Recent medical examinations confirmed that the injury was from his crash in Germany so Baz is sitting out another round to focus on his recovery. He is expected to return to racing at the Magny Cours World Superbike round on October 5.
