Bayliss is adamant that there will not be a repeat performance at Valencia this year even if were asked by Ducati to make a sayonara ride on the Desmosedici 800. “I definitely will not race the 800. I closed that chapter of my career in 2006 and I will close the whole book at Portimao in November,” said Bayliss at a post race press conference after winning the second race at Magny-Cours.
Talking about his career, he said, “This life I have lived has been like a dream.”
A journalist pointed out that, after scouring the history books, the only other rider in either of the two premier roadracing classes, 500/MotoGP or Superbike, who left motorcycle racing as a champion, taking the #1 into retirement was Britain’s Sir John Surtees, who retired as reigning 350 and 500 double champion at the end of the 1960 season and moved on to Formula 1 (and won that title too), never competing in world championship motorcycle roadracing again.
Troy thought that one over for a second and replied, “That is good to hear, but a lot of things can happen in racing, and I am still racing and fully concentrated now on the next race. It is a new circuit
for everyone and I am anxious to go out and try and win in Portugal. You guys know me and you know I won’t just be riding around. It will be my last time on this bike (gestures to the 1098 beside the speakers' table) and there’s nothing I’d like better than to win 'em both!”
His eyes lingered on the red and white Xerox 1098 and he added, “I am proud to have won on three generations of Ducati twins. The 999 was a great bike, but a bit of an ugly duckling. I like the 1098 best. It’s a bit of throwback to the looks of the old 996.”
Troy is a bit of a throwback himself, to simpler times when racing was more about racing and less about marketing and image.
But we can’t start missing him yet. He’ll be back on old number 21 one last weekend, at Portimao, in Portugal, and his toughest rival and future replacement, Nitro Nori Haga, will be rolling out his fire-engine red #41 Yamaha R1 to have a couple of final battles with the legend himself.
And when he is on, he is on, as is seen in the fact that Bayliss, who has had three doubles already this season, now leads all-time in the category with 19.
