Oli Bayliss Following in Dad Troy’s Footsteps: The Plan to Reach the World Superbike Championship

The son of legendary Troy seems to have made an important decision about his future: he knows exactly which path he wants to take.

Carrying a famous surname often brings pressures that can influence and complicate a professional career, and dealing with them is no easy task. This can be especially tough when you’re young and constantly being called “someone’s son” or compared with a father who has enjoyed a glorious past. You need mental strength and the right people around you to avoid being unduly influenced.

Oliver Bayliss certainly knows a thing or two about that, as the son of Troy Bayliss, a three-time Superbike world champion. Having also decided to pursue a career as a motorcycle racer, he has had to learn over time to live with his “big” surname and handle the pressure. He is 23, and 2026 seems to be a year in which he has made real progress.

Bayliss Jr. has completed his second consecutive season with the PTR Triumph Factory Racing team. He scored 86 points in 2025 and 94 in 2026, including three podiums, despite missing Race 2 in Hungary and the Magny-Cours round due to injury. He will also miss the final round at Jerez, as he will be competing in the British Supersport Championship finale at Brands Hatch that same weekend.

In 2026, Oli also competed in the British SSP, called up by Triumph Macadam Factory Racing to replace the injured Bradley Perie from the second round of the season at Donington Park. He was exceptionally fast, notching up 10 wins, two second places and two third places in the races he contested. Unfortunately, he crashed and was injured in qualifying for the Cadwell Park round at the end of August. Unable to race, he lost the chance to fight for the title at Brands Hatch. He is third in the standings with 334 points, while leader Luke Stapleford (Scars-Racing Ducati) is first on 413. However, the Australian can still finish second, as Jack Kennedy (Honda Racing UK) has 368 points.

Bayliss hopes to finish his 2026 season on a high before turning his attention to a future that has yet to be officially announced. One thing seems certain: in 2027, he will not race in the World Supersport Championship, but in BSB. His dream is to compete in the World Superbike Championship, but he has yet to secure a place and plans to make it there via the British Superbike Championship.

Speedweek colleagues have revealed that Oli will ride a Ducati Panigale V4 R, although it is not yet known which BSB team he will join. His plan is fairly clear: "The ideal scenario for me is to ride a big-capacity bike. I first rode a superbike in 2021, and I’ve always loved it. It suits my build, weight and riding style perfectly. My goal is to make it to the Superbike World Championship; I don’t mind how".

Dad Troy won the British Superbike title in 1999 on a Ducati 996, a springboard to his move to the World Championship the following year. He began 2000 in the United States competing in the AMA Championship, then moved on to WorldSBK after Ducati called him up to replace Carl Fogarty. He became a legend. Oli, too, hopes to write a great story of his own.