Troy Bayliss - Ducati Xerox

Troy Bayliss will not be coming back to the World Superbike series following his recent two test sessions on the Ducati as he had decided he does not miss racing enough.

The former three-times World Championship rider said in an interview;

“I spoke too soon. Everything felt easy for me and I said that I wanted to comeback; I guess I started my own rumour. But when I tested here I found out that things weren’t going that good and we ended up going around in circles.

That’s when it hit me and it was hard things like that that I didn’t miss about racing. That completely I changed my mind I don’t want to come back racing and I don’t want to do any wild-cards. I’m retired and I’m happy.”

Bayliss may have retired from racing but he signed a contract for ‘professional services’ under which he remains a test rider for both Ducati WSB and MotoGP teams so for now the rumours can be put to bed, but for how long?

Eurosport

Motorcycle legend Carl Fogerty has been confirmed as the guest pundit for British Eurosport World Superbike studio at the Assen round of the championship on April 25.

The 44-year-old, four-times World Superbike champion will join Eurosport presenter Tony Carter and the British Superbike rider Josh Brookes for the fourth round of the series for the six hours of live coverage from the Assen circuit.

Nicknamed the ‘King Of Assen’, Fogerty claimed 59 Superbike wins during his career, winning all but two of the Dutch circuit races between 1993 and 1999, with 15 podiums positions out of 16 races.

Every round of the Superbike World Championship is broadcast live on British Eurosport, including qualifying, while the European rounds are also available in high definition on Eurosport HD. The Eurosport Player will simulcast the live action from each round as well as providing extensive on demand coverage.

Saturday 24 April

1400-1500 LIVE Superpole on British Eurosport 2

Sunday 25 April

0930-1535 LIVE WSB Race Day on British Eurosport 2

1800-1830 Race One on Eurosport HD

1830-1900 Race Two on Eurosport HD

British Eurosport is available on Sky (Channel 410) and Virgin Media (Channel 521).

British Eurosport 2 is available on Sky (Channel 411) and Virgin Media (Channel 525).

Eurosport HD is a simulcast of Eurosport International and is available on Sky (Channel 412) and Virgin Media (Channel 522)

British Eurosport channels also available online via Eurosport Player: www.eurosportplayer.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter! @EurosportUKTV

The American began his career in the late 70’s before reaching the top of the American Road Racing  series in the early 80’s.  He decided to retire from the sport in the Summer of 1982 to concentrate on business commitments.

In 1986, he was talked into coming out of retirement and rode for Suzuki team in the GSXR National Cup series where by the end of the season he had racked-up 45 wins out of 51 races.  He joined the Kosar Racing Team for 1987 and competed in the AMA Superbike championship where he finished in fourth place overall, riding against the likes of Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz.

The American got his big break in 1988 when he was signed by the team Yoshimura R&D of America, allowing him also to ride in it’s parent company Yoshimura of Japan in 1989, seeing him win both of the championships.

Doug then went onto the Ducati team, allowing him to race in not only the World Superbike Championship but also the AMA Championship.  He not only won the World Superbike Championship by 150 points but also made history by winning a record 17 victories during the season and claimed the title of AMA Pro Twins Championship.

Taking the crown for the second year running in the WSB Championship of 1992, he finished third in the AMA Superbike series.

In 1993, Doug rode exclusively for the Ducati Italy squad in the AMA Superbike series and claimed the title with two rounds still to run.

In 1994, Doug was given the chance to ride for the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) on their new RC45 Superbike, finishing fourth in the championship. He only rode a handful of races for the team in the following year.

After leaving the Honda, Doug  joined the Suzuki Endurance Racing team riding a 750cc and also riding a 1100cc in the AMA Superteams series for Team Ebsco Suzuki.   He won the World Endurance Championship of 1997 alongside his team-mate Peter Goddard on the GSXR 750cc.  He won the World Endurance Championship again in 1998 but this time riding for the Honda Racing team on the RC45.

Doug, now 49,  has raced in various events throughout the years and is now offering his services to help others as an instructor at track days and day events in the United States.

Here’s a little clip of Doug winning the 1991 first race at Donington Park;

Troy Bayliss 2008

The three times World Superbike champion title holder Troy Bayliss, has taken the next step in his motor-racing career but this time on four wheels.

The Australian has been testing with different teams in the V8 Supercar endurance series and is hoping to get a drive in this years rounds.

Bayliss said;

“It was my first time with a lot of other cars out on the track, as I haven’t done much in the V8 at all, so it was a good experience today.   I really enjoyed driving the Jack Daniel’s Commodore today and, by the second stint out there, it wasn’t looking so bad. I felt okay, ‘not too bad’ in the car.

It was a great experience. I came along yesterday and had a look at the Kelly Racing set-up. It’s a great facility, on a par with the best that I’ve seen, that’s for sure. The guys asked me along to come and do a few laps and it’s nice because it’s been a long time since I’ve been at Winton.

Everybody knows what I really want to do, I’m chasing that next step in my career, and I’d loved to be involved in the V8s – whether it’s in the main game or as a development driver. There are so many young guys who probably want to be world champions in their future, but I’m not thinking of being a world champion anymore. I’d love to be in the main game and I’d love to win some races.

But also I’d love to do the enduros and, of course, Bathurst is a very big race. It’s something that I’ve been watching for many years, so I’d love to take part in that race and do well in it.”

Merkel started his career as a young boy, taught by his father, and by the age of 19, was racing a 250cc Grand Prix bike.  After going professional in 1982, he finished second AMA 250cc series, riding a Yamaha TZ250.

In 1983, he was snapped-up by the Honda team to ride in the AMA Superbikes, he repaid them by claiming his first win at the Portland International Raceway, finishing the season in third place overall.

The following year he returned to take the championship, also winning a record ten wins in one season and earning him the title ‘Flying Fred’.

The World Superbike Championship was founded in 1988, and after a year of riding in the European championship, Merkel took his second title for the Honda team.

Merkel battled on through the late 80’s and early 90’s with some of the worlds greatest riders before returning to the U.S. in 1994 to ride the Kawasaki.  The following year, Merkel signed for the Suzuki team but never one another superbike race in that class.

Moving on the 750 Supersport, he won his first race with the Kawasaki team in 1994, and in 1995, won five races throughout the season.

Everything changed in 1995, when Merkel was injured in a race at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Arizona, seeing one of the greatest ever riders retire from the sport.

Merkel now owns a successful construction material manufacturing business in New Zealand and in his spare time he teaches at a riding school, if he’s not fishing.

Here is one of the most memorable races ever, the 1986 Transatlantic Challenge Race;

How good looking was he!  Here is the famous interview from Fred Merkel and Kevin Schwantz after the race;

Gobart began his career on motorcycles as a teenager starting with Motor-cross before progressing onto road racing, winning his first World Superbike race as a wild-card rider in 1994 at Phillip Island.  He then rode full-time for the Muzzy Kawasaki team in the 1995 championship where he ended the season fourth overall.  In 1996, he finished in eighth place overall after spending the majority of the season with injuries.

In 1997, the Australian joined the Suzuki Lucky Strike team where he replaced the number one man Scott Russell, which is where his problems first came to light.

Gobart was dismissed from the team midway through the season after failing a drugs test, he returned to the AMA Superbike Championship for the following two-years riding for  Ducati.

In 2000, Gobart returned to the World Superbike series on a Bimota SB8R, with the  number 501, and looked as if he could be back on form after winning at the Phillip Island round.  Unfortunately, the team later folded due to lack of funds.

Gobart returned to AMA Championship again in 2001 with the Yamaha team before moving to the Ducati camp in 2003.  In 2006, he rode as a replacement rider for the injured David Checa in the Supersport World Championship, he then went to the Australian Superbike series for Kawasaki in 2007.

From then until now, things seem to have taken a turn for the worse and in May 2008 he was charged with two counts of stealing.  He allegedly stole two $20 notes out of the hand of a 70-year-old man before snatching a woman’s purse on the street the following day.  Read the story below;

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,23703499-3102,00.html

Bimota even named the SB8k Gobart after the rider, such a waste of talent!

Here is a clip of him leaving court, apologies for the poor sound quality;

Max Neukirchner - Assen 2009

Blake Young, 21, will be riding the Suzuki Alstare machine this weekend at Donington Park replacing injured rider Max Neukirchner for this World Superbike Championship round.

Young is currently negotiating a ride with American Suzuki for the Rockstar Makita Suzuki Team in the American Superbike series and had gone along to the Misano World Superbike race with his mentor, former World Champion Kevin Schwantz when he was approached by the team.

Fonsi Nieto has replaced Neukirchner at the last three round of the championship but it will be Young who will be on the grid at Donington after getting approval from American Suzuki.

Neukirchner is not expected to return until the Brno round on the 24-26 July as he recuperates from his horrendous injuries suffered at Monza.  He is currently undergoing several physiotherapy treatments, focusing on the upper body and his left leg while his right leg is given time to heal fully.

It was reported that he had fractured a vertebra in the accident and has undergone a nine-hour operation to have a metal plate inserted to stabilise his spine.

The 40-year-old from New Zealand, won the Malaysia Superbike Championship back in 1991 before joining the World Superbike series in 1993.

In 1994, Crafar was riding alongside Aaron Slight on the semi-works Rumi Honda RC45 before moving to the Kawasaki team for a couple of years from 1995.

In 1998, he rode WCM Yamaha in the 500cc Championship where he took the win at Donington Park and finished seventh overall.

Crafar returned to the World Superbike Championship in 2000 as a replacement rider for Aaron Slight for two rounds and in 2002 raced in the British Superibike Championship for the Yamaha team, where he completed two podium places and ended the year eighth overall.

It is believed that Simon’s wife is with him at his bedside and that he has movement in his legs which is a good sign, let’s hope he makes a quick and full recovery.

Here is a little clip of Simon Crafar in action;