Troy Bayliss has made it clear he's not riding around Phillip Island for the view.
The 48-year-old three-time world superbike champion has made a sensational return to full-time professional road racing after a nine-year absence.
In the first practice session ahead of this weekend's opening round of the 2018 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) on the island, Ducati-mounted Bayliss finished second behind defending Australian champion Josh Waters (Suzuki).
Showing he still had the goods that saw him earn a MotoGP race victory during his storied career, Bayliss finished ahead of riders such as former national superbike champions Wayne Maxwell (Yamaha), Troy Herfoss (Honda) and Glenn Allerton (BMW).
Bayliss said he was doing all he could to make the comeback a success.
"I've dropped down about six kilos and been living like a monk," said Bayliss.
"The beers are gone and, although I've done a lot of work to get in the best shape I can, I find myself back in ASBK with the best field the championship has ever seen.
"Everyone wants to win and I didn't come here to ride around."
ASBK will be the major support class at the season-opening round of the 2018 Superbike World Championship, with 50 per cent of the field half Bayliss' age.
He retired from WorldSBK at the end of 2008 after winning his third title but returned for a two-round cameo in 2015 to replace an injured rider in the Ducati factory team.
Since, he's been helping fast-track the promising career of his teenage son Oli, who races in the supersport 300 class.
Practice for ASBK continues on Friday, with a race on Saturday followed by two more on Sunday supporting the world superbike season-opening battles.
Australian Associated Press
