Troy Bayliss to Make his V8 Supercar Race Debut
Less than 12 months after retiring from road racing, Triple World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss will make his car racing debut in the Australian V8 Supercar championship next month after a successful test outing.
Fresh from a June test where he lapped just fractions of a second slower than a 3 time Australian V8 Supercar champion, Bayliss will now make his car racing debut in a Triple F Racing Holden Commodore during an endurance event next month along with co-driver Dean Fiore.
The L&H 500 endurance event will be held next month at Phillip Island on September 11-13, obviously a track the champion knows well and will be followed up by the famous Bathurst 1000 race on October 8-11.
“It has been a long time coming and now the deal has been put together,” Bayliss said. “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 know the Phillip Island track quite well, I have had a lot of success there on a bike but it’s going to be different when I go there next month in a V8 Supercar. 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.”
Fiore who is completing his first season racing in the series is clearly proud to have such a distinguished racing team-mate for the enduro events.
“To race alongside Troy [Bayliss] is an absolute honour,” Fiore said, “While he is fairly green to the world of V8 Supercar Racing, the way conducts himself with such professionalism is certainly something which I draw on and learn from.” “Troy [Bayliss] has achieved so much throughout his career and in a short time he is showing signs that he will be a great co-driver.”
link: Triple F Racing
To help acclimatize himself with the 650 bhp attached to an unfamiliar 4 wheels, Bayliss took part in an official practice session at Queensland raceway (the track he tested at earlier). He was second slowest, 2.8 seconds behind the fastest man showing that although a champion on 2 wheels, he is a rookie on 4.
“The day was another learning experience,” Bayliss said. “I was out there with a lot of the guys from the main game and received a few touch ups to officially welcome me to the series. “I would love to be able to stay out there all day but being here was just a chance to do a few laps and to let people know that I’m here and will be competing at Phillip Island and Bathurst. “Overall, I think I need to spend a little bit more time in the car as each lap I did I got better and better and I feel as though I’m getting a good handle of everything – I just can’t wait to get out there for my first race.”
link: Crash.net
Although the record of former motorcycle world champions switching to four wheels has been mixed in recent years (fellow Australian Wayne Gardner had some success in Australia and Japan), who would doubt that a determined Bayliss might battle himself to the top?
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