Bayliss is ruthless in double triumph

The world champion, Troy Bayliss, continued where he left off last season with a double triumph at the first round of the World Superbike Championship here yesterday.

The Australian Infostrada Ducati rider, who finished second in both races here last season, dominated race one and then fought back from third place to triumph in a red-flag shortened second race.

In the first race Bayliss, starting from pole position, held off Aprilia's Noriyuki Haga and the L&M Ducati rider Ben Bostrom to lead into the first bend. The champion pulled away from the chasing pack to win with ease ahead of Haga with Bostrom in third. Colin Edwards finished fourth, with Burnley's Neil Hodgson bringing his HM Plant Ducati home in sixth.

Race two was more of a challenge for Bayliss, with Haga mounting an attack going into the first corner. The Australian held off his Japanese rival but, after starting the race on his spare bike following a fluid leak, Bayliss fell back to third behind Haga and Bostrom.

On lap five the American Bostrom ran wide to allowBayliss, who had been dropping away, a route back in. Bayliss struck, first picking off Bostrom to take second and then snatching the lead on the following lap.

An incident further down the field brought out the red flag two laps short of the scheduled 23-lap distance to give Bayliss his second win of the day, with Haga second and Edwards third. Bostrom slipped out of the podium positions and finished fourth.

Hodgson again came home in fifth, while his fellow Briton Chris Walker completed a mature ride to finish seventh.