DesmoSport Ducati Ready for Season Opener

Mike Jones and Oli Bayliss are set to hit the Winton Motor Raceway circuit tomorrow aboard their DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R superbikes as the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) gets underway for 2021 at the northern Victorian circuit.

Team Co-Owner, Ben Henry: "It's exciting to go racing again and get this season underway! The whole team has been working incredibly hard to get ready for this weekend and the season in general, so it will be good to see that work come to life on the track with Mike and Oli. We had a good two-day test at Winton, with both riders up to speed and I'm looking forward to watching them progress over the weekend, and in out two races on Sunday".

Team Co-Owner, Troy Bayliss: "I think we're in a good position this weekend. The bikes are looking great, Mike is feeling confident and Oli is getting a good feel for the bike, so I'm looking forward to the weekend ahead. We've brought some new faces to the pit along with bringing some back from the past in Brian (Hand) and Byron (Draper), Oli's first race mechanic. As a parent, I'm a bit nervous for Oli, but as a team owner, I'm excited to see DesmoSport with a lead rider in Mike and a developing rider in Oli and I think we're in for a strong season ahead".

Mike Jones: "I'm happy with our position after the test. I felt good on the bike, we were fast and we found some area's to improve, so I'm going into the weekend confident. We have a direction to help me be fast and consistent on the Panigale V4 R which will allow me to challenge for race wins".

Oli Bayliss: "I can't wait to finally race the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R in an ASBK race! I wasn't the fastest guy at the test, but it was still really positive, and I think I'm in a good position heading into the weekend. There's no pressure on me from the team, but I'm motivated to do well this weekend. The series has a lot of fast guys, with seven or eight that are easily capable of winning, so if I can reach that group, I'll be pretty happy with the weekend."

Friday

10:40am Free Practice 1 - 30min
1:30pm Free Practice 1 - 30min

Saturday

10:45am Timed Practice - 35min
3:00pm Qualifying 1 - 15min
3:45pm Qualifying 2 - 15min

Friday

9:00am Warm Up - 5min
11:00am Race 1 - 16 Laps
2:10pm Race 2 - 16 Laps

Image Credit: Russel Colvin (783 Media)

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