News 22 Apr 2018

Mixed emotions for DesmoSport Ducati's Bayliss at The Bend

DesmoSport Ducati press release:

It was a bittersweet weekend at The Bend Motorsport Park’s third round of the 2018 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) for DesmoSport Ducati’s Troy Bayliss, matching his best individual race performance of the season and leading a number of laps, prior to crashing out of the third and final encounter in South Australia.

Setting the third-fastest time of 1m53.366s in qualifying to place his 1299 Panigale R Final Edition on the front row of the premier class grid, it was evident the three-time Superbike world champion was quickly well-acquainted with the brand new venue.

Following a restart of race one due to an on-track incident, Bayliss displayed his comfort on the technically-challenging 4.95-kilometre International Circuit, charging to second position and putting up a spirited fight for the top spot.

Race two proved to be a more challenging one for Bayliss, pressing on to sixth after sitting in fourth for much of the race. Looking to make amends in the race three, he shot out into the lead for a number of laps, but a major incident on lap seven forced him out of the race that was subsequently red-flagged.

As a result, Bayliss was credited eighth overall for the round and currently sits fifth in the championship standings following three rounds of seven. It’s suspected that he’s fractured a finger in the fall.

“I’m really disappointed, we had been going good all weekend,” Bayliss commented. “We’ve been struggling with the same thing all year – initial tyre grip – and we’ve tried so many things, but it’s such a fine window to try and get it right. In that last race through the fast rights, you can’t close the gas and you’ve got to hold the throttle.

“I went a tiny bit wide, shut off a little and the back just came around and threw me straight over the handlebars – it was a massive high-side. I came out of it pretty good, I probably have a crack in my finger, but it just knocked the wind out of me really.

“Overall, we were up there and showed a bit of speed. I want to win a couple of races and, more importantly to me, I probably should’ve eased up as I was riding over what the bike was doing this afternoon, but when you get a sniff at it, you want to have a bit of a dig.”

DesmoSport Ducati team manager and co-owner Ben Henry expressed his disappointment in the way the weekend ended, truly believing Bayliss was in for a strong chance of victory. However, he’s optimistic in set-up changes heading into Darwin’s fourth round that will benefit the number 21 in a bid to stand on the top step of the podium.

“We were so close, yet so far away,” said Henry. “We’re definitely coming and I thought we could do the job this week, I’m just disappointed with the result in the last one. Again, it’s more races under our belt, and we’ve got a break now. I’ve got a few ideas to bridge that small gap – we’re getting close. The last race didn’t end as we planned, but that’s racing.”

The Australian Superbike Championship will return to action 28 June-1 July at Hidden Valley Raceway in the Northern Territory.

Like DesmoSport Ducati on Facebook, Follow @desmosportducati on Instagram and visit www.asbk.com.au for further information. Cube Performance Centre also has an exclusive DesmoSport Ducati section on its website, available to view at www.cubeperformancecentre.com.au/desmosport-ducati.

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