DesmoSport Ducati press release:

DesmoSport Ducati team co-owner/rider Troy Bayliss put forward a consistent performance in Wakefield Park’s second round of the 2018 Australian Superbike Championship, finishing fifth overall for the weekend.

With high temperatures and strong winds making for a challenging weekend of action, 48-year-old Bayliss managed to pilot the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition to 6-5 race results in Goulburn.

After posting the equal third-fastest lap-time in Friday’s opening practices with a 57.822s – his best of the weekend in cooler conditions – Bayliss’ best of 58.369s in qualifying one slotted him into seventh on the grid.

Race day was a relatively strong one for the three-time world champion, vying for fourth in race one before a minor error demoted him to sixth and then improving to fifth in the final 20-lap encounter of the round.

“In the end I’m happy to come away from the weekend like we did,” Bayliss reflected. “In qualifying we went backwards a little bit compared to Friday afternoon, but anyway the races were good and I was strong off the starts, which was good.

“It was pretty consistent, but we are having some problems with the rear of the bike still on the exit of the turns – basically it’s a bit loose and a handful to ride around a place like this.

“In general I’m happy though, satisfied with my fitness because this is such a physical track and it was difficult conditions that we raced in. I thought we would have been a bit better, but we’ll move on, keep on working away and aim to improve for the next one.”

DesmoSport Ducati co-owner and team manager Ben Henry said it was a more challenging weekend, but like Bayliss is happy to be departing the tight and technical 2.2-kilometre circuit with an important haul of points.

“This weekend wasn’t bad by any means, but I still think we have more potential to show,” Henry said. “Friday was good and the reality of it was that it was the fastest we went all weekend. We were consistent at a track that is easy to make mistakes at, so that was good and it’s nice to come out of the round with these points.

“Overall I’m satisfied and quite happy, but I know that we have more to come. We’re getting closer, ticking boxes as we go and hopefully soon we will be ready to win together as a team. We’re doing well, fourth in the championship and are really looking forward to two days of testing coming up and then The Bend round to follow.”

Those results have Bayliss remaining fourth in the championship standings following two of seven rounds, now setting his sights on The Bend Motorsports Park in South Australia on 19-22 April.

DesmoSport Ducati and Bayliss will also be in attendance at next weekend’s QBE-supported International Festival of Speed at Sydney Motorsport Park between 22-25 March.

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.