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After winning the British Superbike Championship in 1999, Australia’s Troy Bayliss began the 2000 season racing for Ducati in the American AMA Championship. Relatively speaking, the AMA is a bike-racing backwater but Bayliss’ US adventure had barely begun when a call came from Ducati Corse in Italy. The factory team’s number one rider – and British superbike legend – Carl Fogarty had suffered what became a career-ending accident at Philip Island as he began the defence of his 1999 title and the team needed a ready-made winner to fill Fogarty’s celebrated boots!

As Bayliss himself now hangs up his helmet for good, it is fitting to reflect upon this fact. This was the point at which one legendary superbike star effectively passed the baton to another. After three world titles and 52 race wins, only Fogarty has a better record in World Superbikes (four championships and 59 wins) than Troy Bayliss, with the Australian claiming more pole positions (26 to 21) and a greater ratio of wins-to-starts than Fogarty (34% / 27%) to well and truly leave his mark.

But one of the real qualities of this gritty Aussie is that he is more than just a winner. Bayliss is also a real entertainer, happier to earn a victory the hard way rather than coast-and-collect, the hallmark of a truly great racer. From lights to flag, Bayliss was never afraid to muscle his way to the head of the field – literally, whenever necessary – and some of his on-track battles will never be forgotten (look-up Imola 2002 against Colin Edwards on YouTube for a small taster!). Bayliss raced – and won – in Moto GP too, powering to a memorable victory in Valencia in 2006, during a one-off appearance for Ducati in place of the injured Spaniard, Sete Gibernau, proving he had lost none of the versatility he showed early in his career and making-up for two disappointing Moto GP seasons in 2004 and 2005.

But Bayliss’ ultimate legacy will be the way in which he has done all of his racing and winning. Some racers are great at what they do, some are entertaining to watch but Bayliss combined both with being a truly great bloke, too. This is what made the former apprentice spray-painter from New South Wales such a favourite with the fans and after enjoying a career that most can only dream of, will it come as any surprise to discover that the Bayliss racing story has the perfect storybook ending? Having already clinched his third world title, Troy went to Portugal in November for the last round of the 2008 season, stuck his Ducati 1098 F08 on pole and rode away from the field to a pair of perfect victories.

And so ends a stellar career but to find out more about what Troy Bayliss thinks about his time in the sport and what he’ll do next, click here to watch our EXCLUSIVE interview from his final World Superbike race at Portimao in Portugal.

 

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