OFFICIAL PROGRAMME · BOUNCEBACKABILITY
Garrett Gerloff watchers may be forgiven for thinking that the lowest personal point of his career so far would have been the infamous tangle with Toprak Razgatlioglu at Assen last year , and the dark aftermath . But no … “ It is funny I am being asked that in Catalunya because my lowest point was Race One here in 2021 . It was raining , I exited the pits on my sighting lap , touched the paint and highsided myself - on the special anniversary white livery bike … That was pretty low , for sure . To have the special livery and everything and not make the grid …”
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As we were speaking in Catalunya to get these quotes , local boy Xavi Vierge was a must-do . “ Maybe the most difficult was in 2019 , when I moved to Marc VDS . I had a lot of expectations to fight for the championship . The year started really well but then things did not go as planned . You expect a lot it was a key point in my career , but everything went in the wrong direction . We started from the front row in Qatar , then we had a problem with the tyres in the race . We did pole position in the second round then on the warm-up lap the bike stopped … After that , it just went in the wrong direction . I cannot tell you why ! But it was a really hard year . It turned around and for every rider I think it is a dream to be a factory HRC rider . Everything happens for some reason , and maybe these things happened because I need to be here .”
Loris Baz , it seems , has had more career ups and down than a hotel elevator . “ I am pretty famous as the comeback guy . It happened to me many times in my career , after a low point or no ride , or whatever - but I always came back . I would choose 2016 in MotoGP™ as the main low point . When I was taken out in Mugello I had 17 fractures in my foot and it was the fourth time in four races that I had been taken out . It was not only the injury but I was not sure to keep my ride for the next year . Nothing you can do because you are sat at home with a badly broken foot . I came back to make a fourth place at Brno in the wet , but then was taken out again and my foot was broken in five pieces . I eventually came back and kept my ride - but the injuries seemed never-ending . It was nice to be able to come back and do some good racing after that .”
And what about ‘ The GOAT ?’ The six times champion Jonathan Rea ? He has arguably bounced back harder than anyone , having reaped all those rewards for his determination to overcome adversity . His worst point was very early in his career . “ I think my broken femur in 2004 , before my career had started . I was just a novice rider with a big dream . I was lying in hospital and the doctor said I would never race again . I felt like my dream was over . That was the biggest setback ; really difficult . For everything else , I have had a lot of positives to see me through the tough times .”
Bouncebackability , something shared by all the top WorldSBK riders , of course .
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