Troy Bayliss To Make V8 Supercar Plans Official At Queensland Raceway Tomorrow [Archive]

Stevieboy34

10-03-2009, 06:58 PM

Go Troy, the worlds greatest ever Superbike Rider, bring on the V8's

Three-time World Superbike (WSBK) Champion, Troy Bayliss will attend tomorrow’s Queensland Raceway V8 Supercar pre-season test day to announce his four-wheel ambitions.

Recently retired from the premier 1000cc motorcycle racing class, Bayliss made the move back to Australia and the Gold Coast at the beginning of the year in order to pursue a long-held passion for the world’s toughest competitive touring car championship.

Bayliss will join TeamVodafone (defending V8 Supercar and Bathurst champions) Principal Roland Dane, revealing plans to gain valuable track time and a move towards a seat in the premier class.

Rick76

12-03-2009, 06:38 PM

Bayliss will suit up for an official driver evaluation day with defending V8 champions TeamVodafone in May. The driver evaluation day, to be held on 14 May, will provide the Australian with as much a comprehensive introduction to the TeamVodafone Ford Falcon and its inner workings as it will the chance to prove himself on track.

“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.”

The former Ducati MotoGP ace admitted that he could not have found a better partner for his introduction to V8 racing than Team Vodafone, which claimed the 2008 team and individual titles thanks to the efforts of Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.

“I have always been associated with the best equipment on track so, when I made the decision to retire from World Superbikes, I met with my manager about trying to align me with the best possible team in V8 Supercars,'' he acknowledged, “There was one big added bonus with TeamVodafone, as Roland Dane is a massive Ducati fan and, of course, that sits well with me.

“At least, this way, I will know I am in the best possible gear to give the best possible performance and this way I am not wasting anyone's time. I know, at nearly 40, I am never going to win the championship, but I am still at peak fitness and, if I can adapt well enough to the car, then I have the potential to be a good endurance driver.''

Bayliss also sprang the surprise of revealing that he was also 'in discussion about doing a number of races with Audi in Europe', although he refused to go into any more detail.

“Whatever happens, I will need to be able to make 100 per cent commitment to it,'' he said of his potential career change, ''My two-wheel career ended like a fairytale and I certainly don't want anything in the future to take the shine off that.”