W
ith rider safety paramount,
the 2016 edition of the
Motul/Pirelli Troy Bayliss Clas-
sic was cancelled due to poor
weather. After heavy rain had
fallen on Friday, it appeared the
weather was going to play ball
for the assembled cast of inter-
national racing stars. Blue skies
greeted fans early on race day,
however, this was to be short-
lived, with patchy rain stalking
the event throughout the day.
After an initial delay, three
rounds of heat races were run,
with 2015 Superprestigio winner,
Brad Baker, dramatically crash-
ing out after making contact with
the concrete fence.
"I was just going for it," Baker
said. "Chris Hodgson (U.K.) got
a little sideways and checked up
in front of me, but I was right on
him, and I just ran into the back
of him and skidded my front
wheel out. I took a big hit on
my shoulder, and then my head
going into the fence. It's unfortu-
nate for the fans – I was feeling
really good. When I practiced
here on Thursday, I broke the
track record."
In the earlier heats, the advan-
tage was firmly with the Aussie
All-Stars, with Troy Bayliss in
particular looking up for the
fight. As the heats progressed,
the Americans quickly became
dialed in, with defending 2015
Troy Bayliss Champion, Jered
Mees, and fellow Pro AMA
Flat Tracker, Sammy Hal-
bert, both taking heat wins.
"I got going in that last
heat race and was able to
win one, but I was behind
the eight ball all day, Moth-
er Nature has just been
playing hell with us today,"
said Mees. Former AMA
Grand National Champion,
Jake Johnson, quickly
found his feet on the Taree
oil track, saying, "I thought
the track was great. I was
a little bit hesitant earlier,
being my first time on this
type of surface, but I felt great.
I put down the third fastest lap
time during the heats. With the
rain falling now, though, it is a
real shame."
Track staff tried in vain to
produce a raceable surface,
but with time running out in the
evening, another downpour
proved to be the final nail in the
coffin for the 2016 Troy Bayliss
Classic. CN
IN
THE
WIND
P30
2016 TROY
BAYLISS
CLASSIC HITS
THE SKIDS
Rain and oil make
for a rather slippery
surface, so the
Americans will have
to wait another 12
months to get their
hands on the Troy
Bayliss Classic
crown.
Event favorite
Brad Baker
goes down – the
crash put an
end to any hope
of victory even
before the event
was canceled.
