Bayliss and Borja line up for factory.

It has been all change in the Ducati camp ever since Carl Fogarty broke his arm at Phillip Island during round two of the World Superbike championship. In an effort to replace the reigning World Superbike champion the team drafted in Troy Bayliss for Sugo only to see the Australian fail to complete a single racing lap after being punted off by the same Japanese privateer twice!

While Bayliss returned to the American Superbike series, Ducati drafted in test rider Luca Cadalora to partner the inexperienced Ben Bostrom in the factory team. However after two uninspiring performances Cadalora decided to call it a day leaving the door open for Bayliss to make another one off (or so he thought) return to the factory at Monza.

On this occasion, with not a single Japanese privateer in sight, Bayliss stunned the team with two superb rides, bagging a pair of fourth's for his efforts. This left Ducati in a quandary, Bayliss was under contract to Ducati but was racing for the crack Vance & Hines team in the American series. Bostrom was struggling on the world stage but that was down to him using Michelin tyres which he is unsuited to, and having immense pressure on him from the media.

The solution to the problem involved a number of riders and outside factors. At first Ducati scheduled a test with John Kocinski and British Superbike Ducati rider Neil Hodgson for the vacant factory seat, but then decided that they wanted Bayliss most of all. Ducati then moved Bayliss' contract from Vance & Hines to the factory Ducati Corse outfit, replacing the Australian with Kocinski for the rest of the year. With only two races complete in the American series, the irrepressible Kocinski is still in with a chance of the title.

In the meantime, Ducati held a test at Misano for Bayliss, Bostrom and Spaniard Juan Borja who rides a Ducati for the satellite NCR outfit. During the test Borja and Bayliss lapped the quickest although Bostrom was more consistent over long periods of time. Nevertheless Ducati decided to swap Borja for Bostrom and let the Spaniard share some of his experience with Bayliss.

For Bostrom, the move from the factory to the satellite team should not be viewed as a demotion as he is now able to continue his learning process in a less pressurised environment. There is also talk of the NCR team using Dunlop tyres in the near future after Borja tested with them at Valencia recently. The Dunlop tyres are more suited to Bostrom's style and his progress has been hampered this year due to the Michelin's used by the factory team. A place out of the spotlight for a while could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the young American.