MotoGP is the pinnacle of our sport, but Troy Bayliss’ factory Ducati ride in WSB is a coveted spot that, perhaps, only the top five riders in MotoGP would look down on. Bayliss reportedly earns a salary of more than $2,000,000 per year from Ducati, and Ducati views the WSB championship as a very critical part of its marketing plan for its 1098 and other sport bikes.
This is why Chris Vermeulen may clearly be considering a move to the Ducati WSB squad next year. Bayliss is definitely retiring at the end of this year, and Ducati wants to stay on top in WSB. This requires another top notch rider to replace Bayliss, and Vermeulen (should he leave Suzuki’s MotoGP team) could potentially fill this role. Of course, there are not a lot of riders available in Troy Bayliss’ league (you may recall that he won a MotoGP race as a wild card).
