A familiar face will return to the MotoAmerica paddock this weekend at Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington as Loris Baz fills in for the injured Cameron Beaubier on the factory-backed Warhorse HSBK Ducati Flo4Law Panigale V4 R.
The Frenchman was a consistent figure in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship in 2021 and 2024, finishing fifth in points both seasons. Along the way, he collected 10 total MotoAmerica Superbike podiums, including a race two win at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2024. In 2025, Baz concluded his American stint by riding for the factory S&S/Indian Motorcycle team in the Mission King of the Baggers class, where he finished second overall behind Kyle Wyman.
With Beaubier sidelined by a shoulder injury after crashing out of the lead in Quad Lock Superbike race one at Road America, Loris Baz will team up with Benjamin Smith. Smith is making his own highly anticipated return to racing after a massive, 180 mph crash during Quad Lock Superbike timed practice at the previous round.
“I’m super happy for the opportunity the team gave me and I’m glad to be back in my second family,” Baz enthused on Thursday at The Ridge. “I love the full seasons that I did in this team and excited to ride the new V4 R.
“This is a track I know well—I qualified on pole here back in my last Superbike season in 2024—but it’s a new challenge with the V4 R as it’s completely new for this year. Even so, a Ducati is still a Ducati.”
Baz knows the challenge of slotting back into an ultra-competitive pack in the Quad Lock Superbike Championship will be a big one, but it’s just another obstacle in this journeyman’s racing career that has seen him race in nearly every major international road racing series.
Upon leaving the MotoAmerica paddock at the end of last season, Baz took up a testing role alongside Isle of Man TT great Peter Hickman with Dunlop in France. The Ducati Panigale V4 R, developed around Italian Pirelli rubber since its inception, has been difficult to set up on Dunlop tires. Does Baz think this recent testing will give him an advantage at Ridge?
“I’ve been doing lots of testing with Dunlop on many different bikes, and if there’s an advantage to that, it’s that you must keep a really good pace on all of them, not just a Ducati,” Baz notes. “If there has been a strong point in my career, it’s probably that I am quite an adaptable rider. I can get used to a bike pretty quickly. I’d really like to have the feeling like I had at the end of 2024 when I won the final race in New Jersey.
“The good thing for me is working with the Warhorse guys, they know how I ride and what I like on a bike, and it’s good that we’re not starting from zero in terms of a base set up.
“It’s really sad that Cam (Beaubier) isn’t here and I want to wish him all the best for his recovery,” Baz said. “I was back home, training a lot and waiting for the right opportunity to come on my phone, so to get the call, I was very happy. I am just thankful again for all the partners, for Bobby Shek, HSBK Warhorse and Flo4Law to give me the opportunity to be back here in America.”
Baz’s first opportunity aboard the factory-backed Warhorse HSBK Ducati Flo4Law Panigale V4 R will be during Friday’s Quad Lock Superbike FP1 at Ridge Motorsports Park, scheduled for 10:55 am PST.
