Image: Supplied.

A charge to eighth place in the final 2022 Supersport World Championship (WorldSSP) race at Phillip Island concluded Oli Bayliss’ maiden campaign on the international stage, also marking his fourth top 10 of the season.

Bayliss’ finished Saturday’s race one 12th in wet conditions as he adapted to the Ducati V2  in the rain, and by his own account didn’t make a good start from P14 in Sunday’s race two.

As the race progressed, the Australian was able to move inside the top 10, ultimately besting a multi-rider battle for eighth place. He finished the season 16th in the championship standings with his strongest result coming at Estoril where he was P6 in race two.

“Today, we had a pretty good warm up,” Bayliss shared. “It was kind of the same situation as qualifying where I only got one flying lap in the dry. In terms of the race, I got one of the worse starts in my life. I managed to gain some positions back. I believe if I got a better start and a better qualifying position I could have possibly stayed with the front group.

“It has been a good day. Eighth place is ok. In saying that, as a racer you always expect more of yourself. Overall, it has been a tough year, but at the same time, it has been a big learning year. To be able to be on the back of some of the guys we were racing with today who have probably been here more times than I have was a good way to end the year.”

Showing promise throughout his rookie world championship campaign, Bayliss’ plans for next season have not yet been officially confirmed.