Ducati Corse

Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) continued his extraordinarily successful season with his sixth double win of the year, in round 8 of the World Superbike Championship at a scorching Misano Adriatico. In front of a record 68,000 fans, the Australian world champion had to beat off the challenge from Honda’s Colin Edwards, who twice finished runner-up. Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) started from the second slot on the grid but had to make do with two fifth places, while Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) had an unhappy weekend, crashing out early in both races. Britain’s Neil Hodgson (HM Plant Ducati) was third in the first race while the final podium place in race 2 went to Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia).

For the second time this year, Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) had to change bikes just minutes before the start after a clutch problem developed, but after trailing Colin for the first 9 laps, he then powered past the Texan before the Curva del Tramonto. “Everything went well for me at the end but we had to throw a little bit of drama in on the start-line when I had a clutch problem and had to switch bikes. That’s no real problem as I can’t tell them apart and I came to the start grid last and kept nice and cool” declared Troy. “I followed Colin for a while, it was really hot behind the exhausts and it takes your breath away so I didn’t think it was a good idea to stay there for too long. I got past Colin and then had another little drama when my left-hand handgrip was working its way off but I’m happy with the result”.

In race 2 Bayliss and Edwards again traded places at the front with several spectacular passing moves at the Tramonto but the Australian eventually got the better of the Texan on lap 18 and made it stick until the chequered flag with an impressive series of quick laps, taking his thirteenth win of the season. “Maybe my winning streak will stop at Laguna, where I’ve never had any really good results!” he added. “But I’m looking forward to going there this year because Michelin are coming out with some great tyres. It’s been a really hot and hard weekend here at Misano, Colin rode a couple of fantastic races but what I’m looking forward now more than anything is a cold beer!”.

A wrong choice of tyre in race 1 left Bostrom (Ducati L&M) struggling throughout the 25 laps. “I picked the wrong tyre, different to Neil and Nori and I couldn’t even lean the bike over the way I want to. I was sure I could have got onto the podium but after the first lap the tyre started to get real hot and I thought ‘that was that’.

“I changed the tyre for the second race and rode really hard but unfortunately the result was the same, I was just spinning the rear wheel coming out onto the back straight. I gained two-tenths in every lap and I was riding so hard but as the race went on I was having less and less grip. Pity, I was really looking forward to this race, now it’ll have to be Laguna”.

Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) had a difficult weekend, crashing out on lap 4 of race 1 and then lap 6 of the second race. “There’s nothing to say, I just lost control in both races and crashed and I’m very disappointed. I was hoping to get some more points on the board and move up the table”.