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THE TROY BAYLISS STORY: 2000
2000 was a typical example of how unpredictable racing can be. Troy had already moved from Australia to England and now, in February of 2000, he moved from England to the US in order to ride a Ducati for the Vance & Hines team in the AMA Superbike Championship. He immediately impressed with his aggressive riding style and set pole position at his first race in the Daytona 200, but crashed out during the race. He then moved on to round 2 at Sears Point and, once again, put the Ducati onto pole position but the race was cancelled because of adverse weather conditions.
By this time, Troy was straining at the leash to show how fast he could be. He wouldn’t have to wait long… Back in Phillip Island, Australia - the place where it had all started for Troy three years ago - World Champion Carl Fogarty had crashed during the second leg of the World Superbike event there. He was badly injured. Troy's phone rang again… he was approached by the Ducati factory in Italy to replace the injured “King Carl”. As Troy said, “I get a call from Ducati asking if I was interested in the ride. I didn’t need asking twice!”
Troy crossed the Atlantic again to replace the injured Carl Fogarty and soon astounded the public with a series of spectacular performances. He and the Ducati Infostrada team would only have to wait a few races before he chalked up his first race win at World Championship level.
The win, at the incredibly fast Hockenheim circuit in Germany, was followed by another win in front of a supportive British crowd around the very technical Brands Hatch circuit. Troy was now proving himself convincingly.
Troy’s first ever visit to Assen in Holland left fans in no doubt that he is one of the most spectacular riders in the world. Through awful weather conditions, his battle with the Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga had TV viewers gasping. On a track that was dry on one side of the circuit and wet on the other, the two riders swapped the lead corner after corner until Troy slid off of his Ducati and walked back to the pit garage.
It was a walk that had become a common sight during 2000 but everyone around Troy realised that his ability to push the limits is the trademark of a future World Champion.
Despite missing six races in the 2000 season he had finished 6th in the World Superbike Championship. Troy’s rise to the top has been meteoric but now he faced his biggest step in motorcycle racing: The final step to becoming the Superbike World Champion.
Combining talent, determination and consistency is what is needed to win the World Superbike Championship. And that was exactly what Troy did.
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