Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) rookie Callum Spriggs has big shoes to fill in the 2017 season, after replacing former champion Mike Jones on the DesmoSport Ducati team co-owned by triple world champion Troy Bayliss and Ben Henry. The 22-year-old Queenslander set the 12th-fastest time at Phillip Island’s official test, leading to this Five Questions Why interview we conducted with him earlier today.

Image: Keith Muir.

Why were you satisfied with that official ASBK test at Phillip Island?

Yeah, it was good to finally get everyone on the same track and riding around with them. It felt like I was at a race meet, my first time riding with all of the Superbike guys, so I was hoping to get into the top 10 at least in the 1m34s. I didn’t quite manage that, but still, I was happy with how it all went. Hopefully when we go down next time we’ll know what direction we’ll be heading in and we can go forward. I’m looking forward to that.

Why has your transition to the Panigale been so straightforward to date?

I suppose I’ve had Chris Jones helping me with the suspension side of things. He’s made it a bit easier to ride, although it’s still not as easy as I thought it was going to be [laughs]. It’s definitely a challenge, but it’s still early, so I’m sure I’ll be able to get a lot faster – I’m not stressing too much yet.

Why will you be able to improve further come the opening round in February?

I’ll probably learn a lot in the first race. In qualifying I’m hoping to get in the top seven, which is what I’m aiming for, and then in the races I’m sure I will be able to drop my times down more and more, maybe be able to race into the top five.

Image: Keith Muir.

Why do the DesmoSport Ducati and Cube Racing teams have such a positive environment?

We all get along and help eachother out. It’s a good team to ride for and Ben does an awesome job getting the bikes ready and all of that. Having Troy in the team is awesome as well, it’s a fun team to be in and that is also part of the racing.

Why is working with Troy Bayliss such an advantage as a Superbike rookie?

Having Troy here, he gives me a few pointers on how to ride a Ducati really well and he definitely opens up some good opportunities, as everyone has seen with Mike. I’m very lucky to be in the DesmoSport Ducati team, so hopefully if I can ride the Ducati well this year we will see what happens for the future.