By blue2bikes
March 4 2007

Superbike World Championship 2007, round two: Australia. James Toseland (pictured in 2006) has takes his first Phillip Island win, sharing success with local hero Troy Bayliss. Race one:

Max Biaggi (Suzuki) gained the lead from the off, but was soon overhauled by the current championship leader James Toseland (Honda). The English rider swooped past on the outside to take the lead, with Troy Corser (Yamaha) next in line to pass Max - and he was relegated a further placing by current champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati) taking up third place. ‘Nitro’ Nori Haga (Yamaha) got in on the action, taking Max and relegating him even further down the field to fifth place.

As the leading pack started to gap the rest of the field on lap seven, the champion took Corser, who had no reply with his Pirelli tyres going off. On lap 17 Bayliss made a move on leader Toseland, and immediately lost the lead as James took it back with a rough overtake and some fairing bashing.

Toseland later waved an apology for his rough overtaking manoeuvre. One lap later and Bayliss retook the lead from Toseland, who by then had no reply due to his tyres going off.

Race two:

Race two was a re-run of race one, with Max getting the holeshot - and then he was quickly overhauled and left once again in fifth place. It was Corser who was to come out the better, with Toseland and Bayliss chasing.

Three more laps in and Toseland made his move, taking the lead away from Corser. Bayliss, chasing hard, took Corser two laps later, and was catching Toseland. By lap eleven he briefly took the lead, but looked round and Toseland retook it again.

Taking his first ever win at Phillip Island, James Toseland now leads the championship, with Max Biaggi holding onto second place.

Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) was injured and feared to have sustained broken bones, but has indeed been diagnosed with a lung injury and no broke bones. He will have to remain in Australia until he is fit to fly home.

The next outing for the riders will be at Valencia, where they will be testing prior to their first visit to the UK, at Donington Park on 1st April 2007.

Phillip Island, WSB results

Race one:
1 Troy Bayliss (Ducati)
2 James Toseland (Honda)
3 Max Biaggi (Suzuki)
4 Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha)
5 Troy Corser (Yamaha)
6 Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati)
7 Rubén Xaus (Ducati)
8 Max Neukirchner (Suzuki)
9 Fonsi Nieto (Kawasaki)
10 Steve Martin (Honda)

Race two:
1 Toseland
2 Bayliss
3 Haga
4 Biaggi
5 Corser
6 Xaus
7 Lanzi
8 Michel Fabrizio (Honda)
9 Neukirchner
10 Roberto Rolfo (Honda)

Championship points:
Toseland 90; Biaggi 74; Bayliss 64; Haga 50; Corser 45; Lanzi 44; Xaus 32; Neukirchner 31; Kagayama 23; Nieto and Rolfo 20.