Just like former World Champions Wayne Gardner and Troy Bayliss before him, Casey Stoner during Ducati’s Wrooom admitted that once he retires he too would like to try his hand on Australia’s V8 Supercars.

“After I retire from bikes it’s my plan basically.I enjoy driving dirt cars around. Before I retire I may be testing a few cars and get ready, but once I retire from bikes I think cars will be a little bit more of a relaxing sport for me. I’m not talking about going to Formula 1, but something like V8 touring cars in Australia. I think something like that would be a lot of fun.”

“It’s something I’m planning on. But for now and for the near future I’m enjoying my bikes and that’s all I want to do for now.”

Source | autosport.com

Continue reading: Casey Stoner would like to race V8 Supercars when he retires

Art and Ducati motorcycles are slowly becoming intertwined, after the Ducati Art Prints, the internationally know Malaysian artist Moo Chew Wong, who inspired by Troy Bayliss’ winning Superbike that stands in Ducati’s museum, painted his own personal interpretation of the 999.

Moo Chew Wong who held his first Italian show last month in Bologna, also painted a real Ducati Monster as part of Ducati’s Monster Art Project.

Continue reading: The Ducati 999 Painting (w/video)

This weekend’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 endurance race at the iconic Mount Panorama circuit wasn’t easy for the debuting former three times World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss.

Bayliss was scheduled to make his debut at the L&H 500 at Phillip Island last month until a mechanical failure on the race sighting lap forced him and co-driver Dean Fiore to watch the race from pit lane.

Bayliss and Fiore on the Paul Morris Motorsports-prepared Commodore #12 car with the livery of CRC product, Kitten Car Care Products, had trouble during Saturday morning practice when the car caught fire in the pits and then qualified last on the grid and in the race that took place in mixed weather conditions, incidents and safety cars ended up against the barriers.

Bayliss and Fiore DNF the race.

Continue reading: Troy Bayliss at Bathurst 1000 - Crash Video

WSBK racing fans are going to jump with joy when they find out that three time World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss, less than a year into his retirement wants to return to racing.

The 40 year old Australian talking to Motosprint, told the Italian website that he’s in great shape and is tired of being a pensioner and that his new career in V8 Supercars isn’t going well as he expected, (at Phillip Island the car broke down and he couldn’t race) but he want’s to go back to his first love, two wheels.

“I want to go back to racing in Superbikes again. I’ll be looking around at Imola. It’s a shame that Ducati already have their team for 2010, I could have really helped them next year. For sure I’m not going to be a image man anymore”.

Davide Tardozzi, Ducati’s SBK manager for Borgo Panigale, has denied that they can field a third F10: “As soon as he landed last Tuesday Troy told me he wanted to race, how can we satisfy him? We don’t have the resources for three riders.”

If Bayliss truly wants to return, and wife Kim is tired of having her husband moping around the house, there’s going to be a line-up outside his door. According to Italian gossip, Aprilia’s Giampiero Sacchi heard that Bayliss was on the market again and the Italian manager just might think of stealing the Ducati icon, one of Italy’s most loved and admired riders, and give him the RSV4.

Continue reading: Troy Bayliss Wants to Make a Superbike Comeback

It’s hard to forget and let slide into media oblivion someone like Troy Bayliss, who delighted motorcycle racing fans for so many years with his three World Superbike titles, his popularity and down to earth attitude and when he retired, left a void in more than one Ducatista heart.

So when we find something about what King Troy is up to we like to share with you.

After testing V8 Supercars with Paul Morris Motorsports, Kelly Racing and TeamVodafone, Bayliss will be finally getting a chance to race on four wheels in two V8 races. The Aussie champion will debut in this year’s L& H 500 and Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercar endurance events at Phillip Island and Bathurst, alongside Dean Fiore in a Paul Morris Motorsports prepared Triple F Racing Commodore.

Troy Bayliss said:

“It has been a long time coming and now the deal has been put together. I am really excited to be making my debut in the V8 Supercar series. It’s going to be a huge challenge but it is something that I’ve longed to do for some time. It’s going to be a massive test for me especially at Bathurst, where my first priority will be to finish and then we’ll see where it may lead to for next year. I have watched Bathurst on the couch since I was a kid. I can’t believe I am actually going to be there driving the mountain.”

Source | livenews

Continue reading: 'Baylisstic' Bayliss to debut in V8 Supercar Race

After Casey Stoner’s withdrawl from the next three MotoGP races due to chronic fatigue, there’s been a lot of fan requests that Ducati try to persuade Troy Bayliss to come out of retirement and take his fellow countryman’s place.

Many nostalgics would like to see a repeat of what happened at Valencia in 2006, but unfortunately for fans,Bayliss doesn’t want to return to motorcycle racing and except for helping out Ducati in testing GP bikes or superbikes occasionally, he seems to be more interested in trying out V8 cars.

This time Bayliss tested the Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore at Winton Motor Raceway during the team’s Driver Evaluation Day earlier this week.

Troy Bayliss on his test:

“It was a great experience. I came along yesterday and went and had a look at the Kelly Racing set-up and it’s a great facility. It’s on par with the best that I’ve seen, that’s for sure. They’ve done a great job. The guys asked me along to come and do a few laps and it’s nice because it’s been a long time since I’ve been at Winton. It was 1997 on a Superbike.”

Continue reading: Troy Bayliss tries another V8 Car

We all know that Troy Bayliss is a 3 times World Champion on two wheels and yesterday he officially tried four wheels, test driving TeamVodafone’s V8 Supercar at Queensland Raceway.

Bayliss turned in 80 laps of the circuit pitting after each five lap run to consult with the team’s engineers. The former Superbike rider rider turned driver, did a sighting lap with Craig Lowndes, the 3 times V8 Supercar champion riding shot gun, to allow him to become familiar with the circuit before setting out on his own.

Bayliss best time was an impressive 11.8 lap, less than half a second slower than Craig Lowndes.

Troy Bayliss:

“That was a dream come true. I have been a huge fan of V8 Supercars for a long time and to finally get some laps in one felt amazing. A lot of the on-track principals transfer between the bike and the car and once the excitement of the first few laps wore off I felt like I was back at the office trying to perfect my corners and reduce my lap times. I can’t thank TeamVodafone enough, they have been fantastic and extremely patient with me as I worked my way through today’s sessions. I can honestly say I have the bug, I definitely want to do more laps and try and get out there in either the Development Series or the endurance races.”

Continue reading: Troy Bayliss Tests V8 Supercar

Retired three times SBK Champion Troy Bayliss completed his first day of testing of Desmosedici GP9 at Mugello yesterday alongside test rider Vittoriano Guareschi. It was a first time that Bayliss got back on a MotoGP bike after his sensational win at Valencia back in 2006.

Last year Ducati tried to line up Bayliss and Max Biaggi test ride the GP8 in order to to find out why their struggling riders (Melandri, Elias and Guintoli) were languishing near the back of the grid. The proposal fell through when Bayliss declined saying that his priority was winning his 3rd title and Biaggi was injured and had to beg off.

Having Bayliss test ride this year’s Ducati and the GP10, Livio Suppo is hoping that some of the feedback will help this year’s struggling riders and find out why they’re not doing at least the same times as pre-season testing and that Preziosi render the GP10 a rider friendly bike or they may not find someone willing to ride the red missile from Borgo Panigale.

Continue reading: Troy Bayliss on the Ducati Desmosedici GP9

Troy Bayliss will be present at this weekend’s WSBK races at Monza.

Here’s a small flashback from nine years ago at the Monza circuit and watch Troy Bayliss do magic and overtake four riders in one braking pass.

Continue reading: Troy Bayliss Monza 2000

Troy Bayliss will be watching the fifth round of the WSBK at Monza this weekend from the Ducati garage at the event. He will appear at Monza before participating in a Ducati testing program from May 12th to 14th.

Bayliss will test a Desmosedici GP9 alongside Ducati official test pilot Vittoriano Guareschi. The test is part of a program from the Test Team that will be carried out over the year as the Desmosedici GP9 and GP10 are under development.

Continue reading: Troy Bayliss at Superbike Monza before Desmosedici GP9 test

Three-time World Superbike Champion, Troy Bayliss attended Queensland Raceway V8 Supercar pre-season test day to announce his four-wheel ambitions. Bayliss retired from WSB at the end of 2008 after dominating the series and moved back to Australia and the Gold Coast at the beginning of the year in order to pursue a long-held passion to race in the V8 series.

Bayliss joined Whincup and Lowndes at Queensland Raceway on Wednesdy as the V8 teams tested their cars ahead of the season’s first race in Adelaide next Friday.

“I am really excited about this test,” Bayliss admitted, ”I have openly said for quite a while that I viewed V8 Supercars as the next step in my motorsport career and this is not something I am looking at trying once just to experience it, My long term goal is to compete in select Fujitsu races and shoot for an endurance seat in 2010.”

Continue reading: Troy Bayliss wants a new career

Troy Bayliss, the reigning World Superbike Champion who retired after last year after his third championship win, couldn’t stay away from WSB for long, as he returned to the Phillip Island paddock as a spectator this weekend, and was interviewed by the media.

“It’s great to be here at the Island but at the same time very strange to not be riding with all the guys. I guess it is going to hit more a bit later this weekend. I was here for the first practice session and it was OK, I sort of enjoyed watching it and didn’t have any inclination to join in. But it is a strange situation, although I am quite happy with it at the moment.”

I watched today’s sessions and as we knew Sunday will be a real battle between several fast guys. I am here with some friends who come every year and who made the aussie flag for me when I won here last year. I am really looking forward to seeing the racing and I’ll be giving the trophy to the race 2 winner which will be interesting, I would like to see Nori and Michel up there for sure!

Continue reading: Troy Bayliss at Phillip Island