Troy Bayliss never really wanted to retire from the World Superbike paddock that has been a racing home for the three-time World Champion. Although he took away none of the top-10 finishes he thought he could score at his home circuit of Phillip Island last weekend, he did prove to himself that he could compete, at least if he had more track time.
“I know I didn’t finish in the top 10, but I know I had the pace to,” said Bayliss after his two rides. “Honestly, in the second race I felt I could run with the guys. So even though I am old, I am angry. So I must still be a racer—because I am pissed off.”
He spoke at great length before the race about how lucky racers were because they had the best job in the world.
“You do not realize it until you stop that all these guys are living a dream job, the best job in the world,” said Bayliss. “There are some guys out there that do not appreciate it at all. And a lot of guys do, but when you stop and realize how good of a job you had… I come back now and everything is easy. It is not hard. There are many harder things to do out there than what we are doing here.”
For Bayliss going racing again from the Ducati pit box was familiar, even if the bike had proved to be not as easy as he had hoped.
“The whole experience felt the same as it was seven years ago,” said Bayliss. “The race weekend is stressful, you want to do well and anything can happen. The first laps for me I like the best because you have to think about how you go about things. I made four or five spots up in the first laps. You do not lose the race craft. I don’t think you lose the speed.”
Bayliss was not at Phillip Island to re-ignite a serious racing career, or a season-long comeback.
“You cannot call it a comeback,” Bayliss said. “I do not classify it as a comeback. I really don’t. I like to go fast, that’s it.”
He may not have been as fast as the younger championship ready riders, but the biggest thing that held his race day back was tire life, and more likely tire management.
“I am actually very happy with everything except for how it ended with the tire, because I honestly felt that I could run with the front guys. So I am angry because of that, but you cannot blame anybody because it is time and set-up and this is Phillip Island sometimes. But even when I pitted the only reason I went back out was firstly that is the job and secondly to prove that I was not too tired to do a lap time. Some people seemed to think that, but that is not the case.”
To read more of our interview with Troy Bayliss in this week’s issue of Cycle News, click here