Triple Superbike World Champion in 2001, 2006 and 2008, the winner of the MotoGP Valencia Grand Prix on Ducati in 2006 is now a champion breeder, in this case of his son Oli who made his racing debut on June 18, 2016 during of the Morgan Park Junior GP on an 80 cc.
Then last weekend Oliver “Oli” Bayliss raced at Phillip Island alongside the World Superbike Championship, in the Supersport 300 class of the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK). This is how, at the age of 13, he found himself one fine morning on a starting grid comprising 42 long-toothed drivers, all hoping to be the future Casey Stoner, Mick Doohan, Wayne Gardner or… Troy Bayliss!
Fifth in free practice on his Kawasaki EX 300, Bayliss Junior qualified 0.825 from pole in eighth position on the grid. He finished modestly eighteenth in the first race, then progressed to eighth place in the second, and finally ranked twelfth in the third and last (each over 8 laps), which allowed him to finish sixth in the general.
The Supersport 300 at Phillip Island last weekend
“It was a very competitive race and I learned a lot this weekend, said Bayliss. Completing all three races was positive and I feel like it went well. I just have to keep running to gain experience. »
For Cube Racing team owner Ben Henry, “Oli is young, he’s only 13 and sometimes it’s easy to forget that. He ran really well and has a lot of talent – as you would expect from Troy's kid! It's a lot for him to take. Once again, the potential is there and, with time, we will see it up front when the championship stabilizes a little. »
Photos Bayliss family and ASBK – Australian Superbike Championship
