Q&A: Troy Bayliss.

2006 Corona Extra World Superbike Championship leader, Troy Bayliss, has enjoyed a dream return to WSBK this season - winning eight out of the first fourteen races to hold a huge 73 point lead with five rounds to go.

Here, the Ducati Xerox rider talks to motorsport commentator Jonathan Green about his season to date and the possibility of picking up his second world title...

Q:
It is the halfway point in the season, how do you feel it is going?

Troy Bayliss:
It has been a great come back I guess you could say. I'm on a bike that arguably you could say is one of the best bikes out there and also with a great team as well. I also have a lot of experience on that bike so it makes it a pleasure to ride.

Q:
Do you feel as though the others are catching up with traction control and machine development?

Troy Bayliss:
Definitely, they've had it for a while, they have the same idea and they all have their own ideas on what they want but we've had ours working, as James Toseland rode it last year, it has been working well. We have made it better since then, we've done a lot of work in the off season and those guys have been trying to play catch up during the races which isn't the right way to do it. But right now they are coming strong and they will make the second half of my year difficult. The biggest problem for me now is the tyres because Pirelli keep making better tyres and that is proving better for the other bikes, the less grip they have then it works out better for me.

Q:
Eight wins in a row and then a rare fall but it showed how hard you were pushing?

Troy Bayliss:
I was pushing pretty hard but honestly I should have settle for third place but I like to win races and I thought I could do it again. We changed bikes for the second race because we saw Lorenzo had a problem with his bike and thought maybe it could happen to mine. The guys are so good my bikes always feel very similar so it doesn't matter which one I get on. In the second race I didn't feel quite as good, I didn't feel good on the front and it took me a long while to get into a rhythm but I never was actually comfortable on the bike and eventually I threw it down the road.

Q:
Any thoughts on someone possibly taking the title from you at the last moment?

Troy Bayliss:
Well I could fall off tomorrow and break my leg and then the year would be over. You take every day as it comes and I'm not going to pussy foot around and try and go for tenth position, I'm here to win and if I can't win I'll try and do the best that I can. I've been in these situations lots of times but I've got a good point score, but we are only half way through the season and things can go down hill quite quick. I'm confident in what I'm doing at the moment and we will just continue on like that.

Q:
Who are you most wary of as a competitor?

Troy Bayliss:
I've always said Troy Corser as he is normally the most consistent but he has had a little bit of a bad run lately but I still honestly think he is the most strong and consistent guy to worry about out there.

Q:
Do you feel that World Superbikes are on the way back up?

Troy Bayliss:
I think it is going to continue to grow. All the manufacturers are coming back and there are going to be a couple of extra riders again next year, it can only get better. That is what World Superbikes want to see, good close racing, and they don't want to see the same person winning all the time. I did have a lucky streak where I did win a lot of races but I think the second part of the year will be more difficult and we will see a few different winners.

Q:
What will the second title mean to you?

Troy Bayliss:
It's just another one. It would be nice. I've got the cake it would just putting the icing on it.