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THE TROY BAYLISS STORY: 2003
2003 was to be a big year for both Troy and Ducati as they moved into MotoGP together. The effort invested in the new Ducati MotoGP Team had been massive and pre-season tests were encouraging. Troy was to have to deal with the pressures of being at the sharp end of a project in which both the press and fans now expected so much. Few doubted that Troy would carry his characteristic “never say die” attitude with him, but apart from it being the first year for the Desmosedici machine, most realised that few riders actually make the transfer from Superbike to Grand Prix successfully. They should not have counted Troy in that number! Few were disappointed when the lights finally turned to green on Troy’s first MotoGP season. It may have been a different championship but it was the same old Troy.
Two front row positions, three podium places and 6th in the World Championship was an incredible start in MotoGP. Just two points in the series stole 5th position away from Troy and the “Rookie of the Year” award but if the world of Grand Prix had never heard of Troy Bayliss before they certainly knew him now. In just the second GP of the year and at a circuit he’d never seen before, Troy took the lead in the South African GP at Welkom from the third row of the grid and held it until one-third distance. He fought tooth and nail with reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi at half race distance and eventually brought the Ducati home in 4th position.
By the next race in Jerez, Troy Bayliss was not only on the podium but also on the lips of every race fan around the world. This 34-year-old family man, who had been given the chance to rocket to fame in World Superbike, was now doing the same in MotoGP seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was now rubbing shoulders with the fastest riders on the planet. To Troy, it was just another bike and just another race and his “just get on with the job” attitude continued to win him fans from all around the world.
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