Bayliss impressive in V8 Supercar test
Less than half a second slower than LowndesTroy Bayliss has "the bug" for a switch to four wheels after a successful V8 Supercar test session at Queensland Raceway last Thursday.
Just a month after testing Casey Stoner's MotoGP Ducati in Italy, the three-time world superbike champion completed 80 laps in Craig Lowndes' TeamVodafone Falcon, and his best time in the official evaluation session was an impressive 1:11.8. That was less than half a second shy of Lowndes' best effort.
The current lap record is held by Garth Tander, who set a 1:11.0033 in his Commodore 10 years ago.
After a sighting lap with Lowndes in the passenger seat, Bayliss then knuckled down to work in the 600hp Ford and was relentless in his pursuit of lower lap times.
And that was evident as his braking became more confident, while his throttle application was measured and smooth. After each five-lap run he returned to the pits, getting feedback from engineer Jeremy Moore.
"That was a dream come true," Bayliss admitted. "I have been a huge fan of V8 Supercars for a long time and to finally get some laps in one felt amazing.
"A lot of the on-track principals transfer between the bike and the car and once the excitement of the first few laps wore off I felt like I was back at the office trying to perfect my corners and reduce my lap times."
"I can honestly say I have the bug, I definitely want to do more laps and try and get out there in either the (second tier) development series or the endurance races."
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