Ducati searches for rider to replace Bayliss
28sep04
AUSTRALIAN Troy Bayliss says his Ducati MotoGP team has lost belief in him.
The former World Superbike Champion says Ducati is looking for riders to replace him next season.
"It is like a bit of a kick in the teeth for me," Bayliss said yesterday.
"I have believed in what they (Ducati) can do with a motorcycle, but they mustn't be believing in me if they are looking at other people. That's how I feel."
The 35-year-old, who has had a terrible second season after a brilliant MotoGP debut last year, says he knows Ducati has the ability to build a race-winning bike.
"At the moment we don't have that motorcycle," he said.
Bayliss has crashed out of six races this season trying to push the Ducati faster than it can safely go. He is languishing in 14th place in the championship.
He didn't want to criticise the Ducati bike, but said it was definitely "missing something".
"At the moment, the bike can't win. It is just hard for people to believe it," Bayliss said.
"At the moment, you are just banging your head against the wall hoping someone will knock it down so you can get through."
Bayliss said he was trying just as hard as he always had this season.
"I have had more crashes this year, I have beaten myself around more this year than ever, and it is certainly not through lack of trying," he said.
Bayliss said he still had a chance of hanging on to his Ducati MotoGP seat next season.
The Monaco-based rider said it was a new experience for his place in a team to be in doubt.
"It is pretty hard. Ducati has believed in me for a lot of years and this is the first time that they have looked at other people when I have been there," he said. "I expected to finish my career with Ducati, but I don't think I'm finished yet."
Bayliss said other MotoGP teams had made him offers for next season. He said he would start considering them in the next few weeks.
"They (Ducati) are talking to other people. I think I'll have to go and talk to some other people myself."
Ducati, which is believed to be courting Honda's Sete Gibernau to replace Bayliss, is willing to offer him $28 million, according to some reports.
Italian Loris Capirossi will retain his Ducati seat, despite struggling to stay with the frontrunners this season.
Bayliss praised Capirossi and said he was trying as hard as he could.
"I know what we both put into that team and at the moment we have nothing to show for it," he said.
Bayliss said a lot of pressure had been placed on the team by a sponsor, believed to be Marlboro.
"I think there has been pressure from a major sponsor because it has put a lot into it and I'm sure they are expecting some good results," he said.
"We really need some good results, but, like I say, you can only do what you can only do."
Bayliss said the sponsor pressure was not the reason he had suffered a series of crashes this season.
"I have banged myself around this year, but it is not because of pressure from anybody. It's just because I want to do good for myself and at the moment we can't do good."
Despite the frequent falls, Bayliss is in pretty good shape, apart from a sore ankle from a crash in June.
Bayliss is training hard to give himself the best chance of success in the heat of the Middle East at the next MotoGP round in Qatar on Sunday.