Loris Baz comes to the defence of Alex Lowes - ‘stop posting s**t’

The first incident involving Baz and Lowes also included Danilo Petrucci on the opening lap of the Superpole Race.

As all three riders approached turn 2, Lowes and Petrucci made contact directly behind Baz before clipping the rear of his M 1000 RR.

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The impact resulted in Baz and Lowes hitting the deck, while Petrucci managed to remain aboard his Panigale V4 R.  

Oil was also spilled from Baz’s machine as result, which is what caused six-time Superbike champion Jonathan Rea to crash on lap two. 

Then in Race 2, Lowes and Baz came to blows once more as the Kawasaki rider hit Baz’s leg when the Frenchman dangled it under braking in an attempt to reduce his speed.

With Lowes in the process of lining up an overtake, the leg dangle from Baz gave Lowes little time to react as he instead made contact at high speed which resulted in a fracture to the BMW rider’s right fibula and ankle. 

Lowes came under criticism on some sections of social media as a result for his part in the two incidents, and although the second one had big consequences for Baz, the former MotoGP rider has defended Lowes.

"Stop posting shit about Alex Lowes," said Baz on his Twitter account. "Shit happens and all good with him! I’m more upset about marshals not calling race direction when we were both telling them there was oil on track after the first incident! Luckily no big drama! I’ll be back soon."

Speaking about removing his leg away from his bike and whether it’s a habit that should stop, Baz added: "I didn't do anything wrong with my leg. 90 percent of riders have been doing it this way for many years. At the same time, I don't blame Alex for it." 

"Now let me explain why this happened. The tracks in Lombok and Argentina are always very dirty when we get there. That means we clean the track as we ride. But we always ride the same line, so only a line no more than one meter wide is clean and offers grip. 

"When trying to overtake someone, we usually leave enough room for safety. But you can't do that in this situation, because if you leave room, you get on the dirt and end up going straight or crashing."

"Also the incident at the first start of the Superpole Race where I’ve already been taken out by Alex following his contact with Danilo was the same. Not 1% or error margin in turn 2 with 20 bikes coming. 

"It’s not my job to tell what the options are but all riders agree that it’s not good to race at a track where no bikes have been on the track for months."