        On Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 July, the 2022 edition of the Bikers&rsquo; Classics will play out at the historic and spectacular circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. Dedicated to all classic motorcycle enthusiasts, the event will see many historic vehicles in action but also the involvement of a number of special guests, names that this year include three-time Superbike world champion Troy Bayliss. As announced by DG Sport, the organiser of the event at the Belgian circuit, the Australian rider has confirmed his attendance. This will in fact be the first time the champion is in action at the Spa circuit, but the fans will also have chance to meet him during a dedicated autograph session. Bayliss: &ldquo;Riding the Ducati at Spa will be fantastic&rdquo;  &ldquo;I am delighted to be able to take part in this event and find myself back on a Ducati at this historic circuit&hellip; on which I have never ridden!&rdquo; comments Bayliss. &ldquo;I look forward to meeting the fans and having a good time with them.&rdquo; Translated by Heather Watson WorldSBK, Dall&rsquo;Igna: &ldquo;The title? We rely on Alvaro Bautista&rsquo;s return&rdquo;       

The three-time Superbike world champion will be one of the special guests at the classic motorcycle event, which will take place in July &nbsp;

Troy Bayliss at Spa for the first time, for the 2022 Bikers' Classics

        The rumour is now confirmed and, while certain sources hinted at a possible agreement with Motocorsa more than a year back, we now know where Oliver Bayliss&rsquo; future lies - with the Barni Racing Team. Marco Barnab&ograve;&rsquo;s Ducati team and the young Australian will join forces in 2022. And so father Troy will also be back in the paddock, we hope. The three-time world champion now launches his son who, if you look closely and think back to #21 when he arrived in Europe in 2000, bears a strong resemblance to his dad. Do they also share the same breakneck speed? We hope so, for our sake as well as that of the championship. Supersport is currently undergoing huge change. The new regulation will favour the entry of engines over 600 cc, and so the Bolognese manufacturer will bring its Panigale 955 twin, a bike that promises big things. Oliver is likely to ride with the number 32. Satisfaction all round for the Bayliss family and Ducati  A star of the 2022 ASBK series, Oli comments: "I&rsquo;m really happy to announce that I will be racing for Barni Racing Team in the World Supersport Championship on the Ducati Panigale V2. I&rsquo;ve finished my school program, which means I can now put my focus completely on racing motorbikes, training and only that.&rdquo; Someone who knows all about Ducati, father Troy has this to say: "Oli has been brought up around racing, 2021 has been his first year on Ducati V4 R in the ASBK and taking the win in Darwin earlier this year came sooner than we thought, I think the move to Barni Racing Team is a great opportunity, I hope he enjoys the V-twin as much as I did&rdquo;. And here, the words of boss Marco Barnab&ograve;: "In 2022 we want to focus on young talents. We want to help young riders to be, in the future, the next champions both in Supersport and Superbike. That's why, when the opportunity to sign with Oliver for the Supersport Championship came, we immediately decided to take it in agreement with Ducati. Luca Bernardi is 20-years-old, Oli is 18. We've never had such a young team and for the first time we'll be on track with two bikes both in WorldSSP and WorldSBK. We were the first team to believe in bringing Ducati back to Supersport with the Panigale V2, and we're very proud to see the interest arising&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: Vi&ntilde;ales-Aprilia, a pairing that&rsquo;s beginning to work       

Troy&rsquo;s son and Marco Barnab&ograve;&rsquo;s Ducati team will join forces in 2022, competing in the new-look Supersport class with the Panigale V2 955

Supersport, official: Oliver Bayliss with Barni in 2022

        Troy Bayliss was involved in a cycling accident on Friday 14 May and has been left with a fractured C4 vertebrae and subsequent spinal damage, which means the 52-year old will face several months of recovery. The dynamics  With Troy having no exact recollection of the incident, it appears that another bicycle was exiting between two parked cars and he has collided head-first into it. Most of the impact was transferred through his head to his neck, and he lost consciousness. He was immediately treated and taken to hospital. While the injuries are serious, Troy's condition is stable. He returned to his Gold Coast home yesterday to begin his recovery. Bayliss&rsquo; words  &ldquo;I'm OK and I'm home, but the crash means I won't be riding a motorcycle until I regain full movement in my arms and hands",&nbsp;says the three-time Superbike world champion. &ldquo;I really just wanted to let everyone know what's happened, that I'm OK and that I'll be back in leathers as soon as I can. It's been an intense weekend for me and my family, but luckily, I'm OK and I will recover. My doctors have been really positive, but there's no firm indication of how long it will be until I can regain enough control to get back on a bike - maybe a few months, maybe longer; it just depends on how the recovery goes once the bones heal up.&rdquo; Translated by Heather Watson Whatever happened to: Troy Bayliss       

The incident took place on Friday 14 May. Troy remembers nothing of the accident and is already home to start his convalescence, which will see him resting up for several months

SBK: Troy Bayliss suffers serious cycling accident

A rider who won the hearts of the Ducatisti and the second Aussie to fly high in WorldSBK, Troy had a less than lucky time in the world championship but it ended with that crazy 2006 Valencia win aboard the Desmosedici GP6, a &lsquo;prize&rsquo; for having won his second WorldSBK title.  Today, Troy Bayliss is a Ducati ambassador and co-owner of the DesmoSport team in ASBK, a team that has been clocking up national titles and that, this season, will field Troy&#39;s son Oli aboard the Panigale V4R.  The early days and the BSB title   Born in Taree on 30 March 1969, Troy&#39;s career was slow to start. He had to start working as a body shop mechanic to make the money to race. In &rsquo;92, at the &lsquo;tender&rsquo; age of 23, he returned to racing after having abandoned it due to a lack of funds. He entered the Australian 250SP championship with a Kawasaki before moving to the 600 class in &lsquo;93.  From &lsquo;94 to &lsquo;95 he competed in the Aussie 600 championship and then moved to Superbike the following year, riding the factory Kawasaki and finishing third overall. This result earned him a wildcard entry in the &lsquo;97 WorldSBK round in his native Australia, where he scored two fifth-place finishes at 28 years of age.  He also competed in the Australian 250 world championship round with a Suzuki, crossing the line sixth.  Age not on his side, the BSB series opened its doors to him. Troy moved to the UK in &rsquo;98 and raced team GSE&rsquo;s Ducati 996. He finished the season eighth overall, enough to be reconfirmed. The Aussie then dominated the 1999 season, scoring seven wins and fourteen podiums to secure the British title.  AMA Superbike and his first world championship stint   His BSB title was enough for Ducati to hire him in 2000. Before fielding him in WorldSBK, Ducati decided to enter him in the American Superbike series with team Vance &amp; Hines. His adventure began with pole in the prestigious Daytona 200, although he was forced to retire from the race when his engine broke. Meanwhile, in WorldSBK, Ducati had a serious problem, as Fogarty&rsquo;s injury in Australia had ruled him out of the title race. Tardozzi and Ciabatti made an urgent call and brought Troy from America to Japan. His debut at Sugo was nothing to write home about, a double DNF in fact. And so Troy returned to America. While Luca Cadalora was brought in for the Donington round, Bayliss was back on board for Ducati&rsquo;s home round of Monza.  The Monza &ldquo;Monster Brake&rdquo;   Bayliss&rsquo; second Superbike chance came at Monza. Troy didn&rsquo;t know the track, the bike, the tyres or the Superpole format, but he was nevertheless able to pull out two fourth-place finishes in the races. The highlight of the round was his exceptional braking that took him from fifth to first after the Prima Variante.  That double fourth was enough for Ducati management to confirm Bayliss for the rest of the season. He scored two wins, at Hockenheim and Brands Hatch, as well as seven additional podiums, to close sixth overall with 243 points.  In 2001 he started the year as the Ducati Infostrada team&rsquo;s main rider alongside Ruben Xaus. Troy had a spectacular season, amassing six wins, fifteen podiums and a first world title. He then dominated the first part of 2002, winning 14 of 18 races. But after the Suzuka 8 Hours, Colin Edwards didn&rsquo;t put a foot wrong while Bayliss suffered a serious setback, forced to retire in race 2 at Assen. Troy finishes the season as runner-up, with 541 points, 11 points behind eventual winner Edwards.  250, MotoGP and the 2006 Valencia win   Having had a taste of the world championship in 97, Troy returned to MotoGP with Ducati in 2003, alongside Loris Capirossi. He scored three podiums and nine top-ten finishes to close sixth overall, with 128 points.  The 2004 season was very difficult for Bayliss, the Desmosedici GP4 proving unmanagable. The Australian only completed half of the races, scoring just one podium at season finale Valencia. He finished the year in 14th place with 71 points.  In 2005 Ducati opted for Carlos Checa and Troy moved to Sito Pons&rsquo; Camel Honda team. His season concluded ahead of time when he fractured his wrist while training. 15th place overall for him that season, with 54 points.  He was back in MotoGP in 2006 for the final Valencia round, a prize for having won the 2006 WorldSBK title with Ducati. This was to be Troy&#39;s first and only MotoGP win, the Aussie dominating the race ahead of team-mate Capirossi, on the day Hayden won the title.  The second &ldquo;stint&rdquo; in Superbike: the 2006 and 2008 titles and retirement   In 2006 Troy returned to Superbike with Ducati and the 999F06 bike, which had already won in 2003 and 2004 with Hodgson and Toseland but struggled against the Honda and Suzuki four-cylinders in 2005. He had an incredible season, scoring twelve wins, sixteen podiums in all, and securing his second world title, three races ahead of schedule.  2007 was a photocopy of 2005, the 999 having reached the end of its development. Troy gave it his all (even a fingertip) as he tried to stick with the very fast Hondas, Yamahas and Suzukis. Despite the Donington crash, after which he had his finger amputated so as to be able to compete at the next round of Valencia, Troy had a solid season, scoring six wins and thirteen podiums in all. He finished the year fourth with 372 points, 43 points behind champion Toseland.  Over the winter of 2007, Troy announced that 2008 would be his final season. Ducati presented the 1098, the weapon with which Bayliss would attempt to secure a third title. He started the year with five wins across the first four rounds. The year was not without its setbacks, with five zeros in all, but despite this, Troy was soon celebrating his third world title at the penultimate French round, while the Portimao season finale saw him round out the year with a double win.  Bayliss retired from the Superbike championship with three world titles, 52 race wins and 94 podiums in 156 races.&nbsp;  Recent years   Having hung up his helmet, Troy continued on as a Ducati test rider, taking to the track with new WorldSBK modes and serving as a global Ducati ambassador.  In 2015 the factory Aruba Ducati team called on him to replace injured Davide Giugliano for the SBK rounds in Australia and Thailand. He scored 15 points across the four races, the points scored in race 1 in Australia making him the second oldest rider to have earned Superbike points, at the age of 45, 10 months and 8 days, behind only Frantisek Mrazek who scored points at Mosport in 91 at the age of 55 and 25 days.  After race 2 at Buriram, Troy announced his definitive retirement from WorldSBK, but he did compete in the 2018 ASBK championship.  Translated by Heather Watson  Troy Bayliss: &ldquo;MotoGP is becoming more like Moto3&rdquo;  As of 2016, he is active with Ducati in ASBK as the co-owner of team DesmoSport. 

Following on from Corser and Vermeulen, here&rsquo;s another member of the &ldquo;Australian Collective&rdquo; or rather the most successful Australian WorldSBK rider, who cut off his finger to continue racing and won the final MotoGP race of 2006 with Ducati

Whatever happened to: Troy Bayliss

        The two Qatar races presented the image of a much more balanced MotoGP, with bikes that are similar in terms of their performance and where it is the details and Michelin tyre management that makes the difference. One man who knows this is Troy Bayliss, who has analysed this 2021 season start during the In the Fast Lane podcast. "Some great, close racing"  &ldquo;MotoGP is becoming increasingly competitive and riders are getting closer and closer. It&rsquo;s starting to look a bit like a Moto2 or Moto3 race", commented the three-time Superbike champion. A competitiveness confirmed by the numbers, just consider the nine seconds that separated the top fifteen finishers in the Doha GP. A situation that is the result of various factors, according to Troy. "I think it&rsquo;s down to a combination of things, the regulations, more competitive riders and more balanced bike performance. A combination that&rsquo;s giving us some really great, close racing&rdquo;, analyses Troy. Ducati  Bayliss also touches on Ducati, the manufacturer with which he made some of the best memories of his career. In Qatar, the Desmosedici appeared immediately competitive, the Pramac riders finishing ahead of the factory riders. &ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t win but they&rsquo;ve done a good job in Borgo Panigale&rdquo;, said Troy. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s much difference between the two teams (factory and satellite), the only difference is the budget&hellip; Sure, the factory teams want to win, everyone wants to win, but there&rsquo;s always a Desmosedici up front anyway, so it&rsquo;s not so bad.&rdquo; Valencia 2006  His final comments refer to Valencia 2006, when he was able to beat the MotoGP riders during his only appearance in the reigning class that season. &ldquo;2006 was a great year for me and that was a one-off experience. It was like a fairy tale&rdquo;, remembers the Australian. &ldquo;That race was a like a mini-championship for me. I was really happy, and nearly everyone in Superbike was happy for me too.&rdquo; Translated by Heather Watson Moto3, Jerez 2016: Brad Binder's win from the back of the grid       

The MotoGP races in Qatar impressed the Australian champion, amazed by the level of competitiveness that the reigning class presents

Troy Bayliss: “MotoGP is becoming more like Moto3”

        The 2006 Valencia GP has gone down in history for a feat as legendary as it was unique: we&rsquo;re talking about Troy Bayliss&rsquo; incredible win in his one and only MotoGP race of the season. A victory that few are able to explain even now, but that seemed to come down to the rider&rsquo;s sheer determination, Bayliss always ready to give it his all. Last-minute call  It was October and Troy Bayliss had already had a triumphant year, securing his second Superbike title on returning to the production-derived series after a stint in MotoGP. In the meantime, the MotoGP season was drawing to an end, Valencia preparing to host the final battle between title contenders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden. Loris Capirossi&rsquo;s team-mate Sete Gibernau was unable to take part, and so Ducati decided to call in Troy, who quickly accepted this latest challenge. The race marked a return to the top class for the Australian, who hadn&rsquo;t done particularly well during his previous years in the championship, scoring just four podiums between 2003 and 2005. But things would be very different this time around. No fear  On paper, the odds were against Bayliss, who hadn&rsquo;t ridden a Desmosedici since 2004. The bike was equipped with Bridgestone tyres, which he&rsquo;d never tested and were totally different from the SBK tyres. But Troy was not deterred and managed to qualify in second place for the race, behind Valentino Rossi. After a less than inspiring warm-up on the Sunday, it was time to race. Bayliss made a great start and immediately moved into the lead. Valentino Rossi soon crashed, waving goodbye to the title. A blessing in disguise for Hayden, who ran behind the leading group. But the real spectacle was up front, as Troy pushed on, not interested in what was going on behind him and focused only on writing another page of history. His did so by winning the Valencia race, becoming the only rider in history to win a MotoGP and SBK race during the same season. An achievement that has never been repeated, and an unequivocal response to those who consider SBK riders to be inferior to the MotoGP field. A farewell victory  &ldquo;It was a very tough weekend&rdquo;, commented Bayliss after the race. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a special win, because I started with the Ducati project in MotoGP, together with Loris, and to return with this result is fantastic&rdquo;. This was to be Troy&rsquo;s final appearance in MotoGP, before he returned to Superbike and won his third and final title in 2008. The Australian even retired a winner, thanks to the victory he scored at the final Portimao round. Because for someone like Bayliss, a hero of two worlds, the story couldn&rsquo;t finish in any other way. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP Doha: Ducati, this won't do!       

Returning to MotoGP as a wildcard, at 37, and winning right off the bat after a year away: this is what Troy Bayliss did on that scorching Sunday in October

Valencia 2006, Troy Bayliss and MotoGP: a farewell victory

Compared to other sportspeople, motorcycle riders have a more marked streak of madness, and some more than others. Troy Bayliss is definitely one of these, with many anecdotes to corroborate this fact dating back to the early 2000s, when he was one of the stars of Superbike. This madness perhaps came to a peak in 2007, at Donington Park, when he requested that his little finger be amputated after Race 1, so that he could get back out and battle James Toseland in Race 2.  &nbsp;The incident that compromised his season   After winning his second Superbike title in 2006, the Australia set out to defend it the following year and began the season fighting fit. Until round three that is, when he was caught up in a bizarre episode at the English track. Bayliss&rsquo; Sunday started well enough, and he was able to build a lead in the initial stages of Race 1. Unfortunately, though, he pushed a little too hard and crashed at Coppice, one of the fastest turns. His hand was caught under the bike and when he took his glove off, he was in a for a bloody surprise. His little finger was seriously injured, but Troy didn&rsquo;t panic.  &nbsp;And yet that wasn&rsquo;t what stopped him   Troy went to the medical centre and, still high on adrenaline, asked if they could amputate his finger so he could race again a couple of hours later. After making this unlikely request, Troy promptly passed out. Things then took a turn though, as although his little finger was ultimately amputated, the injury also involved his testicles. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the incident put an end to his weekend.  Last year he looked back at the injury on social media and recalled: &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t realise, because I had a lot of pain in my groin. Then an English kid called out and asked if I&rsquo;d give him his glove. When I took if off I realised something wasn&rsquo;t right and that I needed to go to the medical centre. So I went to Doctor Massimo Corbascio. We decided to cut off the finger because there wasn&rsquo;t much else we could do&rdquo;. And then, in classic Bayliss style, he showed his finger and commented: &ldquo;It hasn&rsquo;t grown back&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, Valentino Rossi back at &ldquo;his&rdquo; Mugello 

It was 2007 and the Australian crashed in Race 1. Despite seriously injuring his right hand, he didn&rsquo;t want to miss out on Race 2&hellip;

WorldSBK, Bayliss the fearless spirit: cut my finger off, I have to race!

        Troy Bayliss has every intention of doing well with his DesmoSport Ducati team in this year&rsquo;s Australian Superbike series, having won the title in 2020. The riders for 2021 are the three-time world champion&rsquo;s son, Oli Bayliss, who will debut in the reigning class this season, and 26-year old Mike Jones, last year&rsquo;s winner of the Australian title with Troy Bayliss&rsquo; team.&nbsp;&nbsp; Brent Stephens arrives To be sure that everything is in place on the mechanical side, Troy Bayliss has hired none other than Brent Stephens, who up until last year was working alongside Valentino Rossi. With the Italian&rsquo;s move to the Petronas team, the New Zealand technician became free and Troy Bayliss didn&rsquo;t hesitate to sign him up as a race mechanic; he will work on Mike Jones&rsquo; Panigale V4 R. "Two riders in the garage adds a lot more work for the entire team, so when it became time to consider who might be available to help us, and the standard we were looking for, the list was pretty short", Troy Bayliss told Speedcaf&egrave;.com. &ldquo;Brent has a long history in racing on the world stage, from World Superbike to MotoGP, and has maintained an incredible reputation over the years for his professionalism and abilities, so to bring someone of his calibre to DesmoSport Ducati is unreal", concluded Bayliss. "Brent worked with us on Mike&rsquo;s Panigale V4 R in our first test of the season at Phillip Island and I think it&rsquo;s fair to say that I&rsquo;m extremely happy with how the team is coming together for 2021", added team co-owner, Ben Henry. A different challenge  &ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to join DesmoSport Ducati for 2021 to work on Mike&rsquo;s bike,&rdquo; said Brent Stephens. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve enjoyed a great career on the world stage, working with some of the world&rsquo;s best riders, the most incredible bikes, and some great teams over the years, but I have to admit, I&rsquo;m looking forward to having a team located a few kilometres from my house! &ldquo;I enjoy the challenges that racing brings and moving from a MotoGP bike to an ASBK-spec superbike is extremely different but no less of a challenge&rdquo;. But still with number 46...  After Valentino Rossi, Stephens will continue to work on a bike with number 46. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s no secret that I chose 46 because I&rsquo;m a Rossi fan, so to now have one of his long-term mechanics working on my bike, just adds to my confidence heading into the 2021 season&rdquo;, commented Mike Jones. Oli Bayliss will race with #32, the same number his father used in BSB. The opening round of the 2021 ASBK championship is scheduled to take place at Phillip Island over the weekend of 19-21 February. Translated by Heather Watson Australian borders closed: MotoGP and SBK at risk       

The DesmoSport Ducati team have hired Brent Stephens. &ldquo;Brent has a long history in racing on the world stage, from World Superbike to MotoGP, and has maintained an incredible reputation over the years&rdquo;, says Troy Bayliss

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