News 23 Mar 2015

Bayliss hangs up helmet for good following Thailand

Guest WorldSBK return with Ducati concludes for legendary Aussie.

Source: Ducati Corse.

Source: Ducati Corse.

Triple World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss has vowed to retire for good following another strong showing in Thailand’s second round of the 2015 WorldSBK series at the Chang International Circuit.

Bayliss made his second appearance of the year in place of Davide Giugliano on the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team, taking home ninth and 11th place finishes after being docked a position in race one for passing under a yellow flag.

The 46-year-old will now return to Australia this week following a series of promotional activities in Thailand for Ducati, confirming he won’t line up again when round three takes place at Aragon in April.

“All in all and considering that conditions here are some of the most difficult I’ve experienced, I can say that I’m fairly satisfied,” Bayliss commented. “I’ve never liked it when it’s this hot and they were, as I expected, two very physical and difficult races, especially the first as I didn’t even take a drink in my suit!

“I thought I’d do a little better in the second race, but I knew it would be tough, so it didn’t go too badly I guess. It’s been fun, I came back in particular circumstances and wanted to do one more event after Phillip Island to see how it would go. I love racing, Ducati and the people that work here and it’s been really great to race with the Panigale R Superbike.

“I was lucky enough to finish my career fit and healthy and I’ve seen that I can still be fast, but now I am ready to return to enjoying life with my family in Australia. I want to thank everyone for their support and now I leave things to the young talents.”

Ducati SBK project director Ernesto Marinelli thanked Bayliss for his efforts at Phillip Island and Chang, impressed with the Aussie legend’s aggression in the heat of Thailand.

“Troy has proved that he is still very fast and in the races, despite the heat, he put on a great show with his aggressive riding,” Marinelli reflected. “We thank him for having given his all with the same determination he has always shown, we couldn’t have asked for any more.

“Having him on the bike again for these two events has been great, time might have passed but some things never seem to change – Troy is always Troy.”

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