Eugene Laverty and Loris Baz will return to the WorldSBK Championship grid for the 2022 season after landing seats with the expanded Bonovo MGM BMW team.
Despite their race-winning credentials, the pair have spent much of this season on the periphery of WorldSBK with Laverty’s original plan to compete with RC Squadra Corse collapsing when the team withdrew four rounds into the season, while Baz switch to MotoAmerica after Ten Kate Racing exited the series.
However, both will be back on the grid full-time in 2022 after being snapped up by the German Bonovo MGM outfit, which made its WorldSBK debut this season with ex-MotoGP rider Jonas Folger.
One of two teams to run factory-supported BMW M 1000 RR machinery in 2021 together with RC Squadra Corse, it will next season take on the latter’s entry with an expanded rider line-up.
The move ensures an extended stay on BMW machinery for Laverty after a difficult short season on the works BMW in 2020, followed by his brief tenure at RC Squadra Corse.
“I’m very happy to continue with BMW Motorrad and join the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team for the 2022 World Superbike season. It is fantastic to remain in the BMW WorldSBK family.
“The past six months have been tough for me as a rider and so I’m very grateful for the continued support and belief from everyone involved in this project.
“I’m very motivated to repay that faith in my abilities and I feel confident that following a solid winter testing campaign we can arrive ready and competitive at round one.”
Baz, meanwhile, earned his renewed WorldSBK shot after being drafted in as a substitute for Chaz Davies at Go Eleven Ducati, the Frenchman impressing in two events with a run to the podium twice at Portimao.
That reportedly led to a bidding war for his signature which was ultimately won by BMW.
“I am really happy to be back in WorldSBK so I want to thank BMW and the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team for giving me this opportunity. I think that I have shown during these two rounds in Spain and Portugal that I have the pace to fight at the front in this championship.
“BMW is the brand that grew the most in the second part of the season. I have closely watched how the bike was improving. I have been racing with BMW before so I know a lot of people there and also, I have been competing with MGM Racing for one race back in 2012.
“I am really happy and really excited about this opportunity and am looking forward to trying the bike and to starting to work together with the team and BMW. Thanks again to all the people involved in this project.”
A front runner in the IDM Superbike series, Bonovo MGM stepped up to WorldSBK with Folger after dominating the German-domestic championship together with Yamaha in 2020.
However, the switch to BMW machinery proved difficult for Folger, who subsequently exited the series with two rounds of the season to go.
