Oli Bayliss, the teenage son of three-time WorldSBK Champion Troy Bayliss, could be in line for a move onto the international stage next season with full factory backing in the overhauled 2022 WorldSSP class.
The Aussie youngster - still only 17 - has made swift progress through the ranks of the domestic Australian series, finishing runner-up in the 2020 Supersport class aged just 16 before stepping up to the Superbike category.
Aboard a Ducati Panigale V4 R prepared by his father’s own Desmosport team, Bayliss has taken to the powerful machinery with aplomb and currently sits fourth in the standings following a maiden win at Hidden Valley.
Speaking in July at the unveiling of a limited edition Ducati Panigale V2 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Troy Bayliss’ first WorldSBK title, motorsport director Paolo Ciabatti said the door was open towards Bayliss Jnr being welcomed into the factory Ducati family.
That appears to be in line to happen next season with Ducati poised to launch an assault on the WorldSSP Championship in 2022 following confirmation the regulations will widen the displacement bands to permit new motorcycles to enter, including the Panigale V2.
Having entrusted development of a Panigale V2 with a spec-ECU to Barni Racing, the latest word is that Feel Racing - which competes as the Aruba.it Racing team in WorldSBK - will also have full factory involvement next year with a pair of bikes.
According to Moto, Bayliss will be joined by Moto2 racer and former VR46 Racing Academy member Nicolo Bulega.
The Bayliss name has become synonymous with Ducati following a hugely successful WorldSBK career that yielded titles in 2001, 2006 and 2008, including 52 wins from a relatively modest 152 starts.
He is also famed for winning the 2006 Valencia MotoGP race as a one-off super-sub for the injured Sete Gibernau, making him unique in winning both a MotoGP and WorldSBK race in the same year.
