Husqvarna ace and Aussie dirt track legend Paul Caslick is primed and ready for what many consider the biggest and most important dirt track event of the year, this weekend’s Troy Bayliss Classic at Taree, NSW.

The event, hosted by three-time World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss, assembles a star-studded lineup of the biggest names in Aussie road racing, motocross, speedway, enduro and dirt track for a day of fun, laughs, and of course, cut and thrust, elbow to elbow racing.

At 47, nine-time Australian champ Caslick is one of the most fearsome competitors in Aussie Dirt Track racing, and he has been practising up a storm in the last fortnight.

On the back of a meticulous preparation, Caslick hopes that he and his Husqvarna FC 450 are going to make their presence felt on a very big stage.

Paul Caslick: “Things are all good. Last year we never had a bike until about a month and a bit before the meeting, but this year because of the luxury of having the two Husqvarnas – my race bike, and another one supplied through Chris Watson Motorcycles, it’s given us that preparation on the bike.

“Through the last 14 or 15 days we’ve been on the bike and cutting some real serious laps with a few practice partners I’ve got. I’ve also got a new fiancé and a new direction in life, so with the change in the level of support, everything changes, so it is great to go out and feel 18 again.

“To be one of the riders selected by Troy in the full field is an honour, but this year we’ve done a bit of testing, and life couldn’t be better, so we’re hoping for more. This is one of the biggest dirt bike events in the country now, as far as the media is concerned and the coverage and hype about the whole show.

“If riders turn up there and say they’re going to have a little fun, mate that’s BS. Everyone turns up there wanting to give this thing a crack. I’m ready to go and I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait to get down there and smell the fuel and get amongst it.”

The Old Bar circuit is one of the country’s few remaining oil tracks, a surface which in the right conditions approximates the grip level of tar.