Ducati rider Oliver Max Bayliss (D34G Racing) aims to win the IDM Supersport races at Most, even though it’s just a test weekend for the rider currently ranked 15th in the Supersport World Championship. And he explains what’s completely different in the World Championship.
Oliver Bayliss is the son of three-time Superbike World Champion Troy Bayliss. The 19-year-old Australian and his Austrian teammate Maximilian Kofler are competing as guest riders on the Ducati V2 Panigale at the IDM round in Most. Bayliss praises the series: “The championship is great, the level is high, and everything is very well organized.” What interests him most is that the Supersport World Championship is coming to Most at the end of July, and he can now prepare for it optimally. “It’s good to get more track time, to do a qualifying session and race here. That’s more valuable than a full day of testing without any competition,” says Bayliss, who wants to win on Sunday. “Every rider wants to win, even if it’s just a test.”
During free practice, Bayliss felt the pressure from the competition. Melvin van der Voort was 0.730 seconds off his fastest lap, and Thomas Gradinger was 0.911 seconds behind. Are they ready for the Supersport World Championship too? “You have to learn a lot of new tracks. Everything is different and much tougher, and many riders who were strong at the national level end up failing. Every lap, every practice session counts,” Bayliss has learned over the past year and a half.
According to Maximilian Kofler, who posted the seventh-fastest time today, the team plans to stay out of the IDM title race during Sunday’s races. After all, his younger brother is a key player there. Andreas Kofler (M32 Racing, Yamaha) is currently second in the IDM standings.
