Troy Bayliss believes a sole championship to focus on would produce short and long term benefits.

Australia’s three-time World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss has weighed into the debate on the future of domestic road racing and says a single series would be of most benefit in both the short and longer terms.

Riders currently have the choice of competing in two championships – the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), promoted by the International Entertainment Group, or the Australian FX-Superbike Championship, promoted by Australian Road & Track Rider Promotions.

Bayliss believes a greater concentration of talent together will ultimately produce better racing, while also preparing Australian riders for any overseas aspirations they may have.

“It’s always difficult going overseas,” Bayliss told CycleOnline.com.au. “I never won the Australian Superbike Championship, but when I went over to England I thought I was going to go there and kick arse.

“It was a bit of a shock to my system really, I was running between sixth and 12th and there was just so much in front of me I had to learn.

“The tracks are all new, and the equipment over there is good. It does take a while to get your head around, which we can see with guys like Josh Waters.

“He is a champion racer and a very talented guy but it takes a while to adjust. Brookesy [Josh Brookes] is a good example of how it takes time to settle in and figure out how things work.”

Bayliss, a keen observer of the local scene, said he felt the sport would benefit from a rumoured merger between the Australian Superbike Championship and Australian FX-Superbike Championship, but said time was a critical factor.

“For me it doesn’t make any sense how it is,” he continued. “It is pretty hard for the guys to choose one championship to jump on board – everyone knows that one single championship would be good for our country, and it certainly makes sense.

“There’s talk about it coming back together but if it is going to happen, it must happen very soon. It won’t be long and it will be all over for the year again and next year will just be the same.”