Loris Baz Walks Away After 300km/h Crash

When Loris Baz (Avintia Racing Ducati) experienced a hair raising crash on the front straight at an estimated 300 km/h due to a suspected rear tyre failure.

As the new control tyres provider in the premier class, this does not bode well for Michelin, although unbelievably it’s not the first time such an incident has occurred.

Around the same time last year, at Sepang, Jorge Lorenzo (Turn 3), Andrea Dovizioso (Turn 3), Aleix Espargaro (Turn 5) and our own Jack Miller (Turn 5) were lucky to walk away unhurt from high speed falls that occurred when the prototype tyres for 2016 were being developed.

Following an inquest into the incidents, Michelin stated that the accidents were a result of a difference in grip balance between the front and rear rubber.

Thankfully, Baz emerged without any serious injuries however the red flags were brought out and a delay of more than one hour in track activities took place while an investigation was conducted to determine the underlying cause.