Words: Russell Colvin

Embarking on his fourth season in the Supersport World Championship (WorldSSP), Oli Bayliss joins the PTR Triumph Racing team for 2025. With a fresh challenge ahead, CycleOnline caught up with Bayliss following the two-day official test at Phillip Island – in which he ended P7 on the timesheets – for this Conversation feature.

Image: Russell Colvin.

This is your second time riding with the PTR Triumph Racing team on the Street Triple 765 RS. In terms of your transition from the Ducati Panigale V2 to the Triumph, how has that been for you so far?

It hasn’t been the easiest, at the same time it hasn’t been the hardest thing I have done. When I first rode it at Jerez last year in October, it was a bit strange because on the Sunday I obviously finished the championship on a Ducati, which is the bike I had been racing for the last three years. Then on the Tuesday afternoon I jumped straight onto the Triumph. Instantly, I liked the feeling of the Street Triple 765 RS. In terms of adapting to the bike, there is not too much I have to change to ride it. It’s all the same thing just riding fast, just little bits here and there. Overall, the Triumph is a good package. On top of that, PTR Triumph Racing is a great team and I believe we will be able to achieve some great results in 2025.

Rewind the clock back five weeks ago, you were here at Phillip Island at a No Limits Trackdays event riding a Street Triple 765 RS, which is owned by Rylee Simons and Jacob Hatch. While it wasn’t a full-blown World Supersport-spec bike, were you able to take anything away from that day and bring it into this two-day test to help you at all?

A little bit here and there. It’s hard to say because the Pirelli tyres are different, the track conditions were obviously different last month to what it was on Monday and Tuesday. It was good for me to just get my head into game. Without doing many laps over the winter, well summer here in Australia, it was good to just keep my head in mind and riding going so I was able to stay fit. So, it helped in a small way for sure. I was very grateful to be able to borrow that bike from Rylee and Jacob.  

Image: Russell Colvin.

With the two-day official test completed, you finished seventh overall. What can you take from these two days into this weekend for round one?

Everything really, as we don’t have much to go off. The team and I were pretty fast at the completion of the test today, and consistent all the way through in this afternoon’s final session. Most of everything we have learnt over the course of test we can bring over which will benefit us to have a good weekend.
 
And can you sum up the test very briefly. How was it as a whole?

We ended the test in a really positive way. The PTR Triumph Racing team and I had a pretty good day on Monday. We were just trying to understand which direction we had to go with the bike and we made the right choice. In this morning’s session, I posted my best lap of the two days on my first flying lap, then on the next lap I had a big highside out of Southern Loop. However, the feeling with the bike is good. The main thing is we understand which direction and what we have to change to be faster, so it has been productive two days, which is a credit to the team.

Racing at home here at the Island, this year will be your fourth time racing in front of the Australian fans. It has to be nice feeling racing at home in front of your family, friends and fans. However, how do you look at it, do you just treat it as another race?

For sure, I try and treat it as another race and don’t put anymore pressure on myself. The place where I should be able to get up to speed most comfortably should be here. We need to hope for a good weekend and I believe I can provide a good weekend.

Looking ahead to the 2025 season, what are your expectations?

No expectations, apart from to be fast everywhere.

Well, thanks for your time, Oli. All the best of luck for this weekend and of course the 2025 season.

No worries, thank you.