Bryan Staring has made his official debut on the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R at Phillip Island this week as the team prepares for round one of the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) at the iconic circuit on February 25-27.

Team co-owner, Ben Henry: “I’ve been really excited to finally get Bryan on the bike. We took advantage of some ride days earlier in the week to let Bryan become accustomed to the bike, and allow us as a team to learn how he gives feedback and prefers the ergonomics of the bike and generally work on our communication before the official ASBK test today and tomorrow. We haven’t done a lot of laps yet with some rain at the start of the day, but the team is working incredibly well together, Bryan loves the Panigale V4 R and I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made, with some fast lap times in already.”

Bryan Staring: “I’m so happy to finally get to the track with the team and ride the Panigale V4 R. My first session on track was all about getting a feel for the bike, the Pirelli tyres, and breaking in my new Ixon suit, but I had a huge smile on my face when I came back in. What an amazing motorcycle! The sheer power, agility and stability of the bike are really apparent, and I instantly felt quite comfortable. I get really good feedback from the bike and its really allowing me to explore the potential and find the limits on the track. It’s been great to spend some time with Troy before he goes to Europe with Oli, and I’m really impressed with how Ben, Byron, Shane and the whole team are working with me to feel at home on the bike. We set some good lap times in the dry today with the second and third fastest times respectively in the two dry sessions today, and if we get some more dry track time tomorrow, I’m confident we’ll keep progressing.”

Team co-owner, Troy Bayliss: “We’ve had a great week down here at Phillip Island, even with the rain earlier in the day today. Oli has been able to do a few more laps on the Panigale V2 before we go overseas and Bryan has really taken to the Panigale V4 R. I can already see how well he’s working with Ben (Henry), Byron (Draper) and the whole team and I’m really glad I could spend some time with him at the track before I leave with Oli. It was actually great to be in the ASBK paddock again and it’s going to be tough not being in the box with the rest of the team at the first round next month.”