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WSB 2007: Ducati and Bayliss - Is Having the Best Rider Enough?

WSB 2007: Ducati and Bayliss - Is Having the Best Rider Enough?

By Dirck J. Edge

There are some great riders in WSB this year. Obviously, this includes Troy Corser (Yamaha), Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha), Max Biaggi (Suzuki), James Toseland (Honda) and others. Outstanding riders (including some former World champs) and all of them expected to have competitive machinery beneath them. Can they beat Ducati and Troy Bayliss on the Ducati 999? Probably not.

No other rider can claim to have made a guest appearance in MotoGP and won the race . . . as Bayliss did last year. Bayliss also dominated the WSB championship last year. He has dominated pre-series practice this year with impressive, and sometimes shocking lap times. The problem for Bayliss and Ducati is that the 999 is probably unable to produce much more engine performance than it did last year, while the four-cylinder mounted competitors can expect their machines to develop significantly over the coming season.

With the first race in Qatar this weekend, the 13-round 2007 WSB series gets underway with everyone gunning for Bayliss and Ducati. Our prediction? Bayliss dominates early on, but the four-cylinder machines and their riders gain ground as the series progresses. In the end, barring injury, Bayliss will be hard to beat.



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