Key Points
- Garrett Gerloff crashed into his teammate Loris Baz during Free Practice two of the Imola WorldSBK round.
- Gerloff took full responsibility for the crash and said that he was embarrassed by what happened.
- He was also happy that everyone was okay for the most part.
- Gerloff was able to return to action later in the session and finished as the highest BMW rider.
- He said that he was happy with his pace on the SCQ tyre, but that they still had some work to do on the race tyres.
- Gerloff also said that he was thinking about the red flags and how they affected his programme.
- He said that it was something to think about in Superpole and also for the races, to have backup tyres.
Details of the Incidence
Garrett Gerloff, a World Superbike (WorldSBK) rider, has taken full responsibility for crashing into his teammate Loris Baz during Free Practice two of the Imola WorldSBK round. The incident occurred when Gerloff experienced a sudden loss of control while braking, colliding with Baz at turn 18. Gerloff expressed his apologies to Baz and the team, stating that he was embarrassed by the incident but relieved that everyone involved was mostly unharmed. Baz suffered a wrist injury as a result of the crash.
Red flags
Despite the accident and several red flags interrupting the session, Gerloff showed impressive pace towards the end and finished as the highest-placed BMW rider. He acknowledged that they still needed to work on improving race pace with the race tires and mentioned that the team would be working hard to make the bike better for the following day.
Final corner
Gerloff also mentioned the red flags had affected his program, and they would need to consider having backup tires for Superpole and races to account for potential crashes and stoppages. The red flags in question were caused by three riders—Gabriele Ruiu, Jonathan Rea, and Tito Rabat—crashing at the final corner, resulting in the gravel on the track. Gerloff and his team were mindful of these factors and were actively considering them in their preparations.
