Oli Bayliss starts WorldSSP preparation
After an impressive debut season in Australian Superbike on the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R, including a sensational race victory in Darwin, Oli Bayliss makes the move to Europe in 2022 to contest the new-look World Supersport Championship with Barni Ducati on a Panigale V2.
Oli, along with his three-time World Superbike father Troy, will head to Europe in the New Year and set up their base for 2022 in the ancient city of Ravenna, just an hour up the road from the Ducati factory at Borgo Panigale.
Oli swapped his V4 R for a standard looking Panigale V2 on Monday at The Bend, as his focus now switches from Australian Superbike competition to taking on the new look World Supersport Championship in 2022.
The 18-year-old has a big task ahead of him with learning new circuits and joining a European competition for the first time, but his dad knows a thing or two, is dinkum Ducati royalty, and the pair have been training together for this next adventure for some years.
Oli’s arrival in the WorldSSP Championship with the Ducati Panigale V2 comes exactly 20 years after Troy’s first World Championship title with another twin-cylinder Ducati in Superbike, the 996 R.
Ducati is releasing a Panigale V2 Troy Bayliss 20th Anniversary Edition to commemorate that feat and celebrate their history with Troy, as they also usher in a new era of racing with this next generation of the Bayliss family.
Marco Barnabò’s successful Barni Racing Team will be involved in two championships for the first time in 2022 with 20-year-old Sammarinese rider Luca Bernardi in WorldSBK with the Ducati Panigale V4 R, and Oli Bayliss in the new look World Supersport Championship on the Panigale V2.
The World Supersport Championship has its biggest shake up ever coming in 2022 with the 955 cc Ducati V-Twin going up against, triple-cylinder 800 MVs and 765 Triumphs alongside the regular 600 cc four-cylinder machines that have long been the staple of the category.
Organisers will use a control ECU package to torque-map the individual bikes and then restrict their power and torque at certain revs to try and establish a level playing field. No doubt it will be a bit of a messy affair at first, but this is the new way forward for the category now that so few people buy 600cc four-cylinder Supersport motorcycles, that most manufacturers have now ceased their production. We believe the 600 fours might also be allowed more modifications than they were permitted previously in order to help try and achieve some level of base parity when the season gets underway at Aragon in April.
Oli Bayliss
“The race weekend wasn’t exactly what I had pictured for my last race weekend before heading to Europe, but it was great to finally go racing again. Congratulations to Wayne for taking the championship and especially to Broc (Pearson) for taking the SuperSport Championship. We train together a lot, so I’m really happy for him. It was great to have Jack alongside us this weekend, it really lifted the event to have him on track and I picked up a few things from him along the way which was great. This year I’ve learnt so much and so I’m excited to take the next step in my career, but before I go, I really want to thank some people. Obviously Mum and Dad, they’re always behind me and I couldn’t do what I’m doing without them and I really appreciate it. Bryan (Hands) and Byron (Draper), these guys have basically been there for every step of my career with advice, support and hard work. They make me more motivated every time I ride the bike. And Ben. He puts in so much time, effort work behind the scenes that no one ever see’s and I’m sure he sometimes thinks no one notices, but we all do Benny, thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
