WSBK – Troy Bayliss or the announced withdrawal of a big name from Superbike –

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Troy Bayliss or the announced withdrawal of a big name from Superbike

WSBK - Troy Bayliss or the announced withdrawal of a big name from Superbike -

Bayliss is one of the beloved children of Superbike and dreams of adding one last star to his prize list to finish in style. 2008 will be the season of all challenges: new machine, new regulations, new opponents… and new direction !

Troy Bayliss and the Superbike, it’s a love story that has lasted since 2000: at the time, the Australian was 31 years old. He has just arrived in AMA Superbike after a title acquired in British Superbike obtained with flying colors.

But when Ducati contacted him in the middle of the season to replace Carl Fogarty who had just been injured, he didn’t hesitate for a second: "I got a phone call from Ducati who asked me if I was interested in racing in World Superbike. They didn’t have to ask me twice !", remembers Troy.

His simplicity will make the reputation of this great bicycle lover: available and smiling with his fans, Troy becomes the idol of the crowds and the star of the championship circuits. In just six participations, the n ° 21 clinches a victory and a sixth place final! Under these conditions, obtaining the world title in 2001 does not surprise anyone and it will take all the talent and determination of Colin Edwards, the following year, to prevent him from signing a double, despite his fourteen victories and its 22 podiums !

Switched to MotoGP in 2003, Troy had a superb first season on the all new Desmosedici. But he lost his footing in 2004 when the machine changed too radically: arriving in the Honda fold in 2005, the Australian did not find his marks on an RCV211 totally different from the Ducatis he had driven until then and finished twelfth in the championship..

Troy then understands, thanks to this experience in the premier class, that his place is in World Superbike: a more convivial and more human championship where success has always smiled on him. And upon his return to the official Ducati Xerox team in 2006, he won a second world champion crown against Toseland, Haga and Corser. !

Ironically, the Ducati MotoGP team then asked him to ensure the replacement of Sete Gibernau for the final race in Valence: Troy won against the big names in the category, becoming one of the few WSBK champions to win a race in the premier class! (read).

The 2007 season is more difficult with falls, injuries (Troy even had a phalanx amputated on his little finger!) And the little technological development possible on his 999 F07..

Finishing fourth in the general classification, the native of Taree now wishes to turn to his last challenge: to win with the new Ducati 1198 F08 in order to "to have a title on the last three generations of Ducati: the 998, the 999 and the 1098 !".

A bet that already seems well underway, given the performances achieved recently in Qatar by the pilot and his new mount (read).

After this last challenge, the 38-year-old driver wants to hang up his gloves, certain of not finding any additional motivation to continue. A wise decision on the part of a champion who has reached the peak of his career and who does not want to have the famous "season too many"…

However, this announcement made to the Australian newspaper Sydney Morning Herald shook the planet Superbike! Because behind the typically Australian phlegm, we feel that this father knows that this stop will be difficult … And that’s why he intends to end his career in style! "I would really like to win the title with the 1098. And if I win there is no reason to keep racing. I have had a good career, I’m almost 39, and I can’t run my whole life. I won a lot of races, won two World Superbike titles and won a MotoGP race".

    It is true that Troy Bayliss’ career has been very busy: in 124 races in the WSBK category, he has accumulated 41 wins and 75 podiums! In comparison, Carl Fogarty’s record of 59 victories and his 109 podiums acquired in 219 races seems very close. "It is true that I would have liked to have had my chance in World Superbike earlier, but there were no places available.", regrets the official Ducati.

    For 2008, Bayliss designates Sofuoglu as a potential candidate for the title: "I think Sofuoglu will be a great opponent because he has shown that he can be really strong. I think like this year we will be five or six to fight for the title, but I really feel that Kenan will be good".

    The tribute of a great pilot to a young wolf? Lucid, the Australian recognizes that talent and desire are the keys to success, as Casey Stoner demonstrated this year in MotoGP: "Casey has shown all his talent this year. When Ducati wondered about entering him, I pressed in his favor because he is young and he is not afraid to keep the throttle wide open! Currently he is as fast as anyone in the world. What’s more, it also arrived at the right time at Ducati", summarizes the champion.

    Are we to understand that Troy wants to try the MotoGP experience again in 2009, now that the package is sufficiently competitive? "Winning this MotoGP race closed the book for me. I never claimed anything else and I never intended to return to MotoGP"Says Troy, who would rather try his hand at racing on four wheels behind the wheel of touring cars, for which he recognizes"have a weak".

    We can bet that with the generous attack and the sense of spectacle shown by the famous n ° 21, this reconversion should spark !

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