Aussie Troy Bayliss will be among the stars celebrating 26 years of the World Superbike Championship at World Ducati Week at the Misano World Circuit on July 18-20.
Race bikes at the Ducati MuseumThere will be a special exhibit of racers and their machines celebrating Ducati’s 313 race wins, and 17 Manufacturers’ and 14 Riders’ titles, including Troy’s own three WSB championships.
The World Ducati Week display will allow visitors to trace WSB history from the early 851 Tricolore, of the late ‘80s, right up to the current competition model, the 1199 Panigale Factory 2014.
They include the 851 with which Raymond Roche won the first Riders’ championship in 1990, Doug Polen’s 888 from 1991, the first Manufacturers’ championship winner for Ducati, Massimo Tamburini’s beautiful 916 on which Carl Fogarty won the first of four World Riders’ titles in the ‘90s, and the 996 Factory, the first official Ducati Corse Superbike which led to yet another World Championship win and the fourth title for Fogarty.
Superbikes from the 2000s include the 996 Factory 2001 with Testastretta engine, ridden by Troy, Ruben Xaus and Ben Bostrom, the 999 Factory 2003, the 999 Factory 2005, and the 1098 Factory 2008, the last model Bayliss rode making it the third generation of Ducati Superbike with which he won world titles. There will also be two 1198 bikes, 1198R Factory 2009 and the Factory 2011, which was ridden to victory by Carlos Checa and the Althea Team. On show also are the 1199 Panigale 2012 and the 1199 Panigale Factory 2014, probably the most revolutionary bikes since the 1979 Ducati 500 Pantah, which adopted many of the Ducati innovations developed for MotoGP.
Troy will be at World Ducati Week in person along with other racers such as Carlos Checa, Pierfrancesco Chili, Ruben Xaus, Giancarlo Falappa and Carl Fogarty.