Troy Bayliss on track at Dubai Autodrome -Photo credit Darren Rycroft www.anysportphotos.com
The Dubai Autodrome reverberated to the sound of thunder yesterday evening with not even a cloud in sight or a drop of rain falling. This time the thunder was in the form of scores of Ducati motorcycles as they descended into the Motor City complex for the opening of the UAE’s latest motorcycle outlet. The iconic Ducati marque has been reborn again in Dubai with the opening of a new and very impressive store. Not only will the new store have a huge range of the Italian classic motorcycles but, to go along with those stunning looking machines is now, for the first time, the full range of clothing and accessories for the ‘Ducatista’…
Troy officially opens the new Ducati store - Photo credit Darren Rycroft www.anysportphotos.com
To mark this memorable evening, Troy ‘Baylistic’ Bayliss who took the Ducati marque to three world superbike championship titles, was on hand to not only to cut the red ribbon (obviously red) but, to give one lucky prize winner one on one track time. With Troy mounted on the awesome 1198S sportbike, he took to the track with his student close on his race pipes…Lap after lap Troy led the lucky winner around as he increased the pace much to the onlooking and rather jealous crowds pleasure.
Troy Bayliss on track at Dubai Autodrome--Photo credit Darren Rycroft www.anysportphotos.com
Troy ended the session with a huge burnout followed by the customary, crowd pleasing wheelie…Easy, when you know how!
Troy signing for the fans - Photo credit Darren Rycroft www.anysportphotos.com
Troy’s work on the track may have been short but he had more duties to do at the store where his fans were awaiting his return, some to chat, some to have memorabilia signed and some to have their photographs taken with this Superbike and Moto GP legend…Myself included I might add…And, he didn’t disappoint either, spending time around the store chatting freely to one and all before leaving to get packed for the morning flight back to Australia and more testing before any final decision is made about the new race season…
Troy at the new Ducati store-Photo credit Darren Rycroft www.anysportphotos.com
Will he be back on the brand which has given him so much success in recent years…Who knows, we will have to wait for the lights to turn green before we really know the answer to that !
Back at the circuit, the track evening was in full swing for all those Ducati riders who had booked to bring their own machines down for some track time. The sound around the circuit was just amazing, with groups of riders out on track for 20+ minutes of track time on the floodlit ‘club’ circuit with it’s notorious club link section.
One lucky rider gets a one on one tuition with Troy Bayliss-Photo credit Darren Rycroft www.anysportphotos.com
For some, though, the same 1198S which Troy had ridden earlier was available for a lucky few riders and journo’s to ride too. Yes, I was one of those lucky few and yes I did feel very smug as I pulled out of the pits with the sound of the race exhausts growling away behind me. Each group was led out for one sighting lap by local hero Hussain Kooheji on the only Jap bike out there! After this, the rules were simple, 20+ minutes of track time was in front of us with the firm warning of the clerk of the course in mind, overtake only on the straight and watch the flags…within two laps of this short circuit I felt totally at home on the 1198S as it thundered down the straight at speeds which would have your licence taken away for a long time should they be matched on the Dubai roads…Who would do such a thing? The handling of bike was so smooth and trouble free and coped with direction change through the link section with consummate ease, as you would expect for a bike that is designed for this environment, any less and I would have been disappointed! With the high speeds which are easily reached, stopping this missile was even less of an issue, with two fingers on the brake lever the retardation was so good that I thought my eyeballs would hit my visor, such is the stopping power…Very impressive indeed. The only disappointing thing was that all too soon the flag came out for the end of the session…Maybe if I say I didn’t see it I could sneak and extra lap in? Then I may not get another invite in future….Damn, back to the pits it was…
View from the new Ducati store - Photo credit Darren Rycroft www.anysportphotos.com
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Marcel and Monica at Ducati for giving me an opportunity to ride the 1198S and to wish the whole team success with the new store and hope that there are many more Ducati events planned for the future and that we may be allowed back to sample more of the Ducati exotica out on track…Till then, join the ‘REDVOLUTION’
TTFN – Ferret
Darren meets Troy then nicks his bike - Photo credit Darren Rycroft www.anysportphotos.com
