Baz: ‘Nobody did anything…’ reveals ankle and fibula fractures
Contact was made between Petrucci and Lowes on the approach to turn two, which resulted in the Kawasaki rider clipping the rear of Baz's machine.
Petrucci managed to avoid crashing despite suffering a big moment on the side of the track, however, Lowes and Baz were not so lucky.
- Rea: ‘We never nailed the set-up, riding over my head, I’m frustrated’
- Bautista wins Race 2, confirms Superpole crash not due to incident with Rea
With red flags deployed but not before Jonathan Rea also crashed [lap two] on oil that was spilled from the accident, Baz and Lowes managed to return to pit lane and compete in the restarted race.
However, injuries proved too much for Baz to take part in Race 2 after it was revealed he suffered a fracture to his right ankle and fibula.
"I have left the hospital after some CT scans," said Baz following Sunday’s action in Mandalika. "I know that there is a fracture in my ankle and fibula. We were just super unlucky today. We didn’t have enough tyres for Warm Up, so we didn’t really use this session.
"I was really confident going into the Superpole race. I had a decent starting position and had a good start. Unfortunately, going into turn two, someone hit me in the back and I ended up in the gravel with Alex.
"Alex told me that Danilo took both of us out. It was a really big one and I was lucky that Alex's bike didn’t hit me. Then there was oil on track. We tried to tell the marshals that they have to red flag the race, but it was a bit of a misunderstanding and nobody did anything. Then Johnny crashed on the oil.
"When I saw the red flags, I jumped on my bike again and went back to the box. The guys did an amazing job to enable me to restart. I felt really lucky in that moment to be able to restart. I did a good start again, was fifth or sixth, really confident with the bike and I felt much better than yesterday.
"The changes the guys made were really good. Unfortunately, going into turn 10 on lap two, I just felt a massive impact on my leg. Alex was trying to overtake me and just ran into my leg. I felt straight away that something was wrong and broken. I went back to the garage. It was really painful, but luckily now it’s a bit better.
"I am luckily able to fly back home tomorrow to get the job done with the doctors at home to be ready and fit for Assen. A huge thank you to my guys, we had bad luck again. But we saw improvements and we have to keep this in mind. Thanks to everyone again, also to Eugene for being here with me."
Redding finds small improvements but second WorldSBK season with BMW yet to take off
Scott Redding’s dismal start to year-two with BMW continued at Mandalika as he once again failed to get anywhere near a top five finish.
Redding secured a best of ninth in the Superpole Race, which came after a technical issue ended his Race 1 early.
In Race 2, Redding crashed at the penultimate corner but was given a reprieve when a red flag came out moments later following a crash involving teammate Michael Van Der Mark and Philipp Oettl.
Speaking about his weekend, Redding said: "I crashed in the main race trying to overtake. In the races, it was a better day for me today after a disappointing day yesterday. I felt better already in the Warm Up and in the race I felt pretty good this morning.
"In Race 2, I felt good but then I had the small crash and it was a restart; I had to start 14th instead of eighth. The field is so tight at the moment it’s really hard to make any difference.
"I managed to move up in the beginning and then made a small mistake at Turn 1 because the wind was really strong, then nothing, then really strong and changing direction every other lap. I made a small mistake, dropped back, and ended up P10.
"It’s the first time this year that I’ve felt more feeling with the bike and feeling like I can actually push with the bike. I hope we can continue this on for the rest of the season."
Turning the cause of many issues for Redding and BMW
Lacking in one of the key areas, Redding once again stated that turning and acceleration are holding BMW back, problems that have persisted for some time.
"For me, it’s getting the bike to turn a bit more and we need to get more acceleration," added Redding. "I follow some guys on the exit and the acceleration is just unbelievable. Some guys have a step between.
"I can see that it’s actual drive they’re getting, and I feel like we if we can make a step, it’ll make us more competitive and be able to ride with a bit more ease.
"We’re always trying to close the gap in acceleration and then we’ve pushed a lot with the front. If we can improve this, I’ll be happy."
