OFFICIAL PROGRAMME · STAR TREK GENERATIONS
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STAR TREK GENERATIONS
Once upon a time a young Aussie rider came to Europe with the ambition to become World Champion . That time is now and that rider is Oli Bayliss , the lone combatant in the Barni Spark Racing Ducati WorldSSP team . We spoke to him and his three-time WorldSBK champion father Troy about star date 2022 now that Oli has boldly gone where his father had gone a couple of decades before .
It is not in any way inevitable that kids will follow in their parents ’ chosen paths in life but for Oli Bayliss his racing ambitions have seen him move through the domestic ranks at home in Australia to take the plunge into full-blown WorldSSP competition this year . A rookie , but with a famous name . There are some fairly obvious advantages to being the son of a famous racing father . No shortage of ad-vice and understanding , for starters . There are also some negatives for an
18-19-year-old with such a famous dad when trying to lift a heavier weight of expectation from even the first rung on the international ladder to the next few .
This interview was conducted at Catalunya , Round 8 of 12 , so we cannot comment on the final four rounds . But so far Oli has scored a racing best of sixth ( in Estoril , R3 ), had a best qualifying of eighth and was 15th overall in a championship table that already had 33 names on it even at that stage . It ’ s been a good year to join WorldSSP in many ways because there is so much more attention on it now , after the permitted machinery list has expanded to include new manufacturers and engine concepts .
It ’ s also been a tough year , because there has been a resurgence in the strength in depth of entry list . And the balancing rules affecting
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