Bayliss: It began with Nori in 2000...

Italians in italian team factory Ducati just don't fit together...Xerox for 2009 season need to refresh all riders, anybody from motogp? from SSP?? Neurkichner? West?

Garry McCoy and Walker to SBKDD

Haga on factory Ducati next year.

Who can replace Troy Bayliss??

you're right Troy Bayliss is irreplaceable and a living legend

Hodgson??? Or Maybe Biaggi, Lavilla or byrne?? All have pretty good Ducati History's....

Hodgson is faster than any of his team mates but he might be a spent force now. Biaggi could be super quick or a super pain in the butt, depending on the side of the bed he got out of (although on the factory bike I think he would be the former and a great replacement for Bayliss). Lavilla or Byrne? It would be interesting.

I still think Haga will replace Bayliss. He rode a private 999 in 2004(?) and came close to the championship. He would be awesome to watch.

Lavilla - check hios laptimes at the end of the race yesterday - quicker than checa - and he still says he s struggling, had no PRE SEASONN ... I RATE LAVILLA AS HIGH AS ANY OTHER WSBK RIDERS EXCEPT FOR TROY ...

Bravo to this article for calling it right! You need muscle to be successful with the Ducati twin!! Hodgson would still smoke people with the Duc, Xaus will win races but fall off too many times. Edwards would be amazing on the Duc. Haga would do well on it too as he has a similar balls out Bayliss style. My vote is Hodgson...the man is a proven Ducati winner...he was outclassed in AMA because of machinery and nothing else. That being said..I won't be rooting for the Duc next year because Bayliss won't be on it!! Go GIXXER!! Go Max Neuchircher....lol

He is just a fabulous rider and always full of praise of the
guys he is dicing with, whether he looses or wins.

It just seems that most of the WSBK riders are more level headed
than the Motogp riders.

I hope JT dosent change, from what I have seen and heard in interviews also a great guy.

hodgson was good but ey her had a huge bike and tyre advantage ... rubén f d up that year at the start of the year but by the end he was beating hodgson day in day out.
as for ama, sure he s on lesser machinery (slightly so) but he s no mladin either

Bring in Capi for the Nr 1 Duc !

Troys replacement is a difficult one.I would love to see Ben Spies from AMA but possibly wont go anywhere without Matt Maladin holding his hand ! Otherwise what about Sykes or Camier there young AND keen

Does anybody find it interesting that the 2nd rider on the Ducati always seems to struggle?? Being as how Ducati own the series &, essentially, make the rules (ie the twins are allowed uprated cranks etc etc) bend around themselves, its interesting to see that the other xerox is never quite there! Begs the question, do Duke simply sabbotage the 2nd bike, or put a below par rider on it in order to avoid argument & protest against the extra 200cc being the reason the 1st rider is always so dominant?????
P.S. No credit meant to be taken from Bayliss! Hes is a fantastic rider on & off the track with a faultless attitude towards his career. Also his 2006 wildcard win at Valencia MotoGP just pro

ves his class. Just a thought on the politics behing WSBK?...

fancy, couse all italian are poor driving Ducati and also all japanese riders win races so rarely on japanese bikes...so why not put Jap on Ducati, Aprilia, KTM, BMW?? Haga as rest japanese riders're going nowhere on their bikes, yeah! Haga on Duc Xerox...and macaroni on jap factories

Xaus, Laconi(or arguably Toseland) and Bostrom have all been Ducati second riders in recent years. Your point is? I think the problem in the last 3 years is that they have gone for nationality over talent, relying on Bayliss to get the trophies while hoping the young uns will learn and get faster. Lets face it though, he casts a pretty big shaddow!
Also dont forget that bayliss will have a say of who is team mate will be. He wont want anyone too good in the same garage. He was said to have vetoed Hodgson and Biaggi(and i dont blame him!).

Haga on the Duc..?? Sounds like spectacle to me..
The races showed me that the Japanese machines where as competitive as the duc's, It was al because of TB'class what made the difference in the end..

Haga should get a crack on a factory Duke and realise his potential and win a WSBK title before we lose him for good. He'd have won in 2007 if not for Biaggi's impatience to pass when he clearly shouldn't have been. As for the second Duke ride in 2009, providing Shakey Byrne wins BSB '08 convincingly (and maybe does the WSBK Wildcard double at Brands again - although in 2003 when he did it Bayliss was in MotoGP !!), I think he'll have earned his slot as Ducati wingman. Likely to be someone already within WSBK who replaces Bayliss due to track knowledge, although I wouldn't rule out Bayliss staying on to surpass Foggy's race / championship records. Imagine a Bayliss & Byrne Ducati duo in '09!

Re: Morphine

Good point about the nationalities, hadn't thought of that!

Loris Capirossi for 2010??????????? (when his Suzuki contract runs out!)