And while Bayliss starts his second season with the Ducati MotoGP team, the eyes of the world are on Italian world champion Valentino Rossi as he begins a new phase of his career with Yamaha after taking 33 premier class wins with Honda, including one 500cc and two MotoGP world championships.

The season-opener is at the dry and dusty 4.24km Phakisa Freeway circuit outside the gold-mining town of Welkom, on a plateau 1350m above sea level.

Last year at Welkom Bayliss shocked the MotoGP establishment, leading the race for 10 laps and having an extraordinary battle with Rossi in just his second outing aboard the new Ducati, eventually finishing fourth.

This year the hard-charging Australian, who recently turned 35, is expecting to benefit from his season’s experience and track knowledge – a belief which has rewarded him in the past, winning the British and world superbike titles on his second attempts in 1999 and 2001.

“I now know the people I’m racing against and I know all the tracks, apart from the Qatar circuit - which is new for everybody (and will host a MotoGP on October 2),” Bayliss said.

“Second attempts have been good to me in the past, so I can’t wait to start racing.

“I don’t mind Welkom as a race track – I got a pretty good result there last year. It’s quite bumpy, but I like to ride it.”

Bayliss and his Italian teammate Loris Capirossi have spent the European winter developing Ducati’s new challenger, including testing at Victoria’s Phillip Island – venue for this year’s Cinzano Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix on October 15-17 - and in Malaysia and Spain.

“We’re making progress with the new bike. I really believe that it’s better than what we had last year,” Bayliss said.

“The motor is a bit smoother, the bike is cooler and I think it’s going to handle better once we’ve sorted a few things out.”

Last year Bayliss finished sixth in the championship, scoring podiums in Spain, Germany and the Czech Republic.
Ducati team director Livio Suppo thinks the new bike is still only at 70 per cent of its ultimate potential.

“We knew that it would take time to develop a new machine, but we believe this bike was necessary to improve our performance throughout the world championship,” Suppo said.

Team technical director Corrado Cecchinello said of the new Desmosedici GP4: “We have worked on every aspect of performance, particularly engine power and rideability, handling and rider comfort. This last factor is particularly important at Welkom. It can be the hottest race of the year and we have to help the riders be in the best shape throughout the race.”

Meanwhile, the Yamaha pairing of Rossi and his ex-Honda crew chief, Australian Jeremy Burgess, has already shown impressive results, with Rossi topping the time sheets at recent tests at Catalunya and Jerez in Spain.
Rossi, 25, is clearly relishing the challenge of a new team and is “happy with the progress” of the new bike.
“I completely feel I am a Yamaha rider now,” Rossi said.

“Now with Yamaha we are trying to make another dream, to make a fresh start and to come back to the top. This is so good for motivation and to keep that motivation at 100 per cent.”

Yamaha has not won in the premier GP class since October 2002 and its highest finish last year was seventh, so Rossi, and his Spanish teammate Carlos Checa, expect improvement.

“We hope to arrive at the first race ready to fight for the podium,” Rossi said. “That is our target. It might not be easy, but we will try.”

Despite losing its world champion, Honda retains a formidable line-up in 2004.

Last year’s surprise winner at Welkom and eventual championship runner-up, Spaniard Sete Gibernau, returns to South Africa a favourite, while his new teammate, American Colin Edwards, is making his first appearance on a Honda since beating Bayliss to the world superbike title in 2002.

Also aboard Hondas are last season’s rookie-of-the-year and Rossi’s former teammate, American Nicky Hayden, and Brazilian veteran Alex Barros, plus Italian 12-time GP winner Max Biaggi and Japan’s Makoto Tamada.

Suzuki’s former world champion Kenny Roberts has shown strong pre-season form, while Kawasaki has a new, improved machine for its riders, German Alex Hofmann and Japan’s Shinya Nakano, after the departure of Australians Garry McCoy and Andrew Pitt following a disappointing debut season for the green team. Ducati has added a satellite team using its 2003 superbike champion and runner-up, Briton Neil Hodgson and Spaniard Ruben Xaus.

In the 250cc class, Australian Anthony West is embarking on his second season on an Aprilia with the privateer Freesoul Abruzzo Racing team. Despite missing out on a factory-backed ride, West has shown pace in testing, backing up his 2003 performances, which included a win in Holland and podiums in Catalunya, Britain and Australia.

Last year’s 250cc world champion, Manuel Poggiali from San Marino, faces a barrage of challengers, including fellow Aprilia riders Randy De Puniet from France, Italian Alex De Angelis, Argentinean Sebastian Porto and Spaniard Fonsi Nieto, plus Honda riders Toni Elias, also from Spain, another Italian Roberto Rolfo and Spain’s reigning 125cc world champion Dani Pedrosa.

Australian Casey Stoner has become a factory 125cc rider with Austrian team KTM this year after winning the final race of last season at Valencia in Spain aboard a privateer Aprilia.

Fifteen teenagers are on the entry list of the 125cc world championship, including potential contenders Stoner, Spanish teammates Hector Barbera and Alvaro Bautista and Italian Andrea Dovizioso.

The young guns will be up against experienced riders such as Japan’s Youichi Ui, Italians Roberto Locatelli – a former world champion - and Stefano Perugini plus German Steve Jenkner.