Loris Baz is returning to WorldSBK at Cremona after MGM Ducati selected him to replace Tarran Mackenzie for round 10 of the 2026 season. The French rider will race the MGM Optical Racing Team’s Ducati Panigale V4 at Cremona Circuit, following the team’s announcement of the one-off change.

Mackenzie remains out of action after his FP2 crash at Donington Park in July. The incident left him with fractures to his left tibia and fibula, collarbone and shoulder blade. He travelled to the French round at Magny-Cours hoping to race, but was declared unfit. MGM is hoping to have him back for the final two rounds of the WorldSBK season.

A familiar team, a different motorcycle

Baz brings an established connection with the team to the replacement role. He raced for MGM in 2022 and 2023, when it operated as a BMW satellite squad, and his last full WorldSBK campaign was in 2023. He subsequently competed in MotoAmerica and the King of the Baggers series. In 2021, he also stood in for GoEleven Ducati at Portimao.

The return comes shortly after Baz’s appearance at the Bol d’Or with ERC Endurance BMW. That entry ended when two hours remained in the 24-hour race, with a motorcycle problem forcing the team to retire. Baz will now rejoin WorldSBK at Cremona with a team he already knows, but on Ducati machinery rather than the BMW package used during his earlier MGM spell.