Troy Bayliss
nationality · Australian
born · 30 March 1969
world superbike début · 1997
grand prix début · 1997

Troy Bayliss must be one of the most prolifically successful Ducati Superbike riders of the last few years, winning both the British and World Championships, and 31 race victories, in the space of five years. On top of that, his dramatic style and sparking boots have made him very popular. Now on Ducati’s impressive MotoGP bike, it can only be a matter of time before he wins races in that class

1981
Began racing dirtbikes

1992
Road racing début; Australian 250cc Sport Production championship, with Kawasaki

1993
6th in Australian Supersport 600cc championship, with Kawasaki

1994
6th in Australian Supersport 600cc championship, with Kawasaki

1995
2nd in Australian Supersport 600cc championship, with Kawasaki
Made Superbike début with Team Kawasaki, setting pole position and finishing second

1996 Team Kawasaki Australia, number 32 Kawasaki
Raced a ZXR750R in Australian Superbikes - 3rd in Shell (Australian) series, 2nd in Shell Oils (sprint) series - six race wins or more

1997 Ansett Air Freight Suzuki, number 3 Suzuki
Raced a GSX-R750 in Australian Superbikes - 2nd in both Shell series and Shell Oils series; made World Superbike début at home in March, finishing fifth in both races
Also débuted in the 250cc World Championship, at home in October, riding the number 30 Suzuki for Team Molenaar Suzuki and finishing sixth

1998 GSE Ducati, number 32 Ducati
Troy made the trip to Europe to compete in the British Superbike championship, finishing eighth overall thanks to fourteen top eight results and a total of 201 points. He started out with a fourth place at Brands Hatch, and his first visit to the podium was as the winner at Oulton Park. He also won at Silverstone, and was third at Knockhill and Cadwell Park
Also finished thirteenth and fifteenth in the World Superbike round at Brands

1999 GSE Racing INS Ducati, number 32 Ducati
Having gained experience of the tracks, his second year in the UK saw Bayliss hit form, winning seven times, and with another seven podium appearances. He also put his Ducati 996 on pole six times. 22 results in the top eight were enough to defeat rivals Chris Walker and John Reynolds
Also competed in the British rounds of World Superbike, but scored no points

2000 Ducati Infostrada Racing, number 21 Ducati
For 2000, Troy signed on to ride the number 88 machine for Vance & Hines Ducati in the AMA Superbike series. He set pole position at Daytona, but was not in the US for long. With Carl Fogarty injured in the second World Superbike round, Bayliss was drafted into the works team. After being taken out at the start of both Japanese races, he went on to have an impressive season, winning at Hockenheim and Brands Hatch, and getting into the top four on a further eleven occasions. With a pole position and fastest lap, he took his 996 to 6th overall on 243 points

2001 Ducati Infostrada, number 21 Ducati
Now the team’s full-time leader, the Australian was the man to beat in 2001. Riding a 996 R, he had two more poles, three more fastest laps, and was first or second in twelve races. In total, he finished in the top five for eighteen of twenty-five races. Even before the last round at Imola - where he failed to finish both races - he had scored a massive 369 points, making him a deserving champion

2002 Ducati Infostrada, number 1 Ducati
2002 looked like being an even better year, with a dominant Troy winning fourteen races from the first seventeen, and finishing top five in the other three. His 998 F02 was piloted to four pole positions and nine fastest laps, but in the latter part of the year he was second seven times to Honda’s Colin Edwards. An amazing tally of 541 points was not enough in the end. Edwards’ early consistency kept him in touch, and ultimately a fall at Assen cost Bayliss the title

2003 Ducati Marlboro Team, number 12 Ducati
Troy’s determined riding for Ducati has paid off, as he has been given the number two seat on the new four-stroke MotoGP bike for this season. So far, he has put the Desmosedici on the second row five times, as well as second in Spain. His race performances have netted podium finishes at three venues, and he is on target for a creditable fourth or fifth in the championship

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