DESMOSPORT DUCATI’S TROY BAYLISS ON ASBK TEAM OWNERSHIP

Triple Superbike World Champion Troy Bayliss has found great success as co-owner of the factory-supported DesmoSport Ducati team in the 2016 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), joining experienced team owner/manager and fellow ex-racer Ben Henry in fielding defending champion Mike Jones aboard a 1299 Panigale S. Bayliss, along with Ducati, has been a fantastic addition to the series this season and took time out recently to speak about the team’s formation so far, as Jones currently sits fourth in the standings with two rounds remaining.

You’re making progress all the time with the DesmoSport Ducati and Mike was really impressive at Barbagallo Raceway’s most recent round with the Superpole and a race win. Overall, are you enjoying it?

Yeah, it’s been a reasonably good year. We started off really strong at Phillip Island, Sydney Motorsport Park wasn’t too bad for us, and Wakefield Park was a little bit of a disaster, however things are coming good as we are making progress. We obviously had a really good weekend in Western Australia, which puts us back up nearer toward the front, so with two rounds to go we are looking for two really positive results. It’s going to be a good year for us at the end of it all and we’re really looking forward to next year and starting off even stronger again.

What is it like being in pit lane watching your own team bikes racing around? It’s not you on the bike for once, so it’s a different experience for you…

I love watching Mike go around. He’s a really good little rider, he’s really relaxed, easy going and takes everything on the chin if things don’t quite go to plan. However, when it comes time to put the hammer down he really lets it fly. We just want to try and give him the best bike as we can to ride. Obviously we have really good support from Ducati Australia and I have a bit of a connection with the factory overseas, but our bikes are quite different to theirs. We are running standard ECUs and they are running Magnetti Marelli, so we are very, very different to what they have. But it has been really fun. Barbagallo was great, the people have really been behind the round and there were quite a few spectators, so it had a good atmosphere. I really believe the ASBK championship is heading in the right direction and it’s fantastic to see so many people coming over. It’s only going to get better, that’s for sure!

I know you have seen Mike race in the past and win races and the championship last year, but now on board the Panigale, how impressive has he been in your opinion?

Yeah, definitely really impressive. We have Honda in the ASBK series, as well as Yamaha, so Mike certainly has some stiff competition and the guys riding for those teams have been around for quite some time. I knew he was good, but he’s really good! He opened up a lot of eyes at Phillip Island this year in February, which was our first round with the bike and he did the WorldSBK wildcard as well, so he certainly has put his name out there and I’m sure they are keeping a bit of an eye on him overseas. We are down under here in Australia, but the guys at the factory take notice, so it’s just good to be flying the flag here with Ducati. I would just like to thank everybody who supports us and it’s great to see the red bike go around, that’s for sure.

As a team owner, obviously you want to win the Australian Superbike Championship, but on the other hand it would be good to see more Aussies go overseas. How do you feel about that one?

Well, Mike is still young and he is at the top of his game. Whether he wins the championship this year or not, he’s shown he can win races and get poles – he is a very fast guy. There is a possibility we might lose him to overseas and I’d love to see that. I think he is good enough to go overseas and become a great rider internationally. For us it’s all about doing what we can with Mike as long as we can and then bringing more young guys through. We have a lot of young guys coming over from dirt track, which is the breeding ground. I know my young fella [Oli] will probably here next year and I know going road racing is on many minds at the dirt tracks, which is not going too bad now. It’s a progression and I really see the young riders coming through, so it’s pretty exciting to watch.

Just finally, the two-up experience program that the DesmoSport Ducati team is involved in with you taking people on track has been hugely popular. You’re putting a lot of smiles on people’s faces, so that must be a different type of buzz for you?

Yeah, it is. Obviously I come from this background, I cut my teeth here in the early-to-mid 90’s riding in the Australian Superbike Championship, so it’s great to be back in the paddock and I’m having a blast when I get to do some laps myself. It’s really good showing people what riders are experiencing on the bikes and we just have to continue to do what we are doing. I’m sure Ducati is reasonably happy with it as well and the Ducati fans love seeing the Panigale out there, whether it’s Mike racing or the two-up.

The 2016 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) will continue at Morgan Park Raceway in Queensland from 5-7 August. Visit www.asbk.com.au for further information on the ASBK series.