Ex-Troy Bayliss factory Ducati MotoGP bike up for sale at Sheffield dealership for £350,000

The Bike Specialists in Sheffield are selling an ex-Troy Bayliss factory Ducati MotoGP bike, which competed in multiple races across the 2003 grand prix season.

The 989cc Desmosedici GP3 was ridden by both Bayliss and Italian Loris Capirossi – marking Ducati’s first return to the premier class of GP racing in 30 years.

The bike, and team, finished second in that year’s constructor’s championship, with Bayliss taking a number of podiums – including third place finishes in Spain and Germany.

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“The Desmosedici we offer is ‘GP3TB1’ (GP3 referring to the 2003 model),” an advert for the bike reads, “its number being recorded on the tamper-proof metal sticker on the frame, a feature missing from Ducati’s show bikes.

“Only applied when bikes were built up and ready to race, this sticker, together with others applied pre-race, testifies to this Desmosedici’s competition history.”

According to the Sheffield dealership, who specialise in rare and collectable motorcycles, this particular race bike can be traced back to the first half of the 2003 season thanks to a frame design change part way through the year.

They also say that the that both the four-stroke, liquid cooled V4 engine and gearbox have undergone a significant overhaul, and the bike is now “ready to parade.”

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Elsewhere, the sister GP3 ridden by Capirossi recently went up for auction at the Shuttleworth Sale in April and was expected to fetch between £250,000 and £300,000 on the day. Listed alongside a 2007 ex-Casey Stoner GP7, it failed to sell at the event.

At the time of racing, Ducati claimed around 200 horsepower at 16,000rpm for this machine, with a top speed of around 200mph helped by a dry weight of just 145kg (only a kilo more than a Yamaha R125, ready to ride).

As a result, this Bayliss bruiser is being advertised at a hefty £350,000 and remains finished in the distinctive red and white Marlboro livery of the time, alongside Bayliss’ signature number 12.