If I were to ask you to name some of the motorcycle racing greats of the modern era, chances are riders like Casey Stoner, Marc Marquez, Troy Bayliss, and Valentino Rossi would be in your list. When it comes to success and loyalty alongside one brand though, it’s hard to beat Troy Bayliss and his amazing track record. Throughout his racing career, he managed to bag several accolades all with Ducati.
In the Superbike World Championship, Bayliss won a total of three titles. The Australian racer has won a total of 52 races, 94 podium finishes, and even snatched a win in the 2006 MotoGP season finale race at Valencia as wildcard rider for Ducati—a monumental feat that further propelled the Aussie into legend status.
Celebrating his 53rd birthday on March 30, 2022, Bayliss recounts the exciting 2006 season. In an article published by Speedweek, Bayliss stated that 2006 was one of the most exciting years of his career. “After we won the Superbike World Championship I also managed to win the MotoGP in Valencia, it was the craziest year but great! I never expected to win a Grand Prix race, but it just happened. It was very special and the icing on the cake of 2006."
Troy Bayliss has been passionate about racing pretty much all of his life. Ever since he was a young boy, he had the racing genes coursing through his DNA. In the same Speedweek article, he revealed that even at the age of five, he was already racing around on various bicycles with his friends. He recounted the first time he watched motorcycle racing on the TV stating, “I can still remember very well the first time I saw motorcycle racing on TV. I was about 11 or 12 years old and the first driver to impress me was Graeme Crosby. When he won the race, he did a wheelie at the finish line and I knew he must be a pretty cool guy."
After a long and successful career, Bayliss would go on to guest in several races, such as a surprise comeback in 2015, where he would replace the injured Davide Giugliano in Australia and Thailand under the Ducati factory team. He would later on try to win the Australian Superbike series in 2018, putting up an impressive performance with multiple race wins and podium finishes.
These days, Troy Bayliss focuses more on promoting his son Oli Bayliss’ racing career. Now 18 years old, Oli Bayliss has participated in the Supersport World Championship in 2020 held at Phillip Island. As covered previously, the young Aussie will debut with the Barni Racing Team in 2022 aboard a Ducati Panigale V2.
