Bayliss seals the 2008 title
Added on Sunday, October 5th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Bayliss seals the 2008 title
Newly crowned champion Troy Bayliss put on a stunning last lap charge to secure his 50th World Superbike win in race two at Magny Cours. Bayliss fought hard with race one winner Noriyuki Haga before denying him of another double. Bayliss wrapped up this year’s championship with his third place finish in race one.
The three times world superbike champion showed intense desire to win in race two. He stuck with Haga and pushed him for the entire race distance, the two swapped the lead several times during some very close racing. By the last few laps Haga’s rear tyre was shot and he had absolutely nothing left to stop Bayliss from running away at the front on the final lap. “My tyre was shredded, I couldn’t get on the gas at all!” said Haga after the race.
Troy Corser pushed his Yamaha hard to take a podium spot with third in race two. Fonsi Nieto had secured second in race one with a very hard ride on the Suzuki that forced Bayliss to settle for third.
Both races produced great shows of World Superbike racing at its best with close racing and fairing bashing action from flag to flag. But it was the race two performance of Troy Bayliss that really put this day down with some of the best this particular series has offered. WIth just one meeting and two races left in his career and with the title settled Bayliss was at his finest in race two. Haga is a very tough racer, he gives and expects no quarter but Bayliss was ready for him. The booming Ducati and the screaming Yamaha swapped paint for lap after lap with neither managing to gain any real advantage. A close finish looked likely as the pair headed for the final lap with horns locked in close combat.
Haga had been working very hard to catch and stay with Bayliss. The Yamaha had looked very loose in the closing stages and this obviously hadn’t escaped the notice of Bayliss. Suddenly the Australian put in an incredible pair of final laps on the factory Ducati. Bayliss could clearly be seen at work on his bike, pushing it past normal limits. It was a typical Troy Bayliss ‘win it or bin it’ push. It wasn’t hard to see how much Bayliss wanted to get that 50th race win. Everything he did made it clear that he was going across the line in first place or he was going to go down the road trying. He wrestled the race away from Haga, who had no answer at all as Bayliss secured the top of the podium.
No Comments