Gritty Edwards secures title
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Your support makes all the difference.Colin Edwards was crowned World Superbike champion yesterday after a tough duel with Troy Bayliss at Imola. Castrol Honda's Edwards won the first race of the day on aggregate after a red flag with Bayliss a whisker behind in second and his Ducati Infostrada team-mate Ruben Xaus third. But the fireworks were saved for the final race of the season as Bayliss and Edwards put on a stunning show.
Edwards prevailed to win back the crown he lost to his Australian rival last season, with Xaus again third. HM Plant Ducati's Neil Hodgson took a fourth and a fifth while his team-mate James Toseland claimed a pair of sixth-placed finishes. Hodgson made a fine start to race two, leaping from fourth on the grid to first as Bayliss also got the jump on pole man Edwards. But the Englishman's advantage lasted barely a corner before he allowed his fellow Ducati man Bayliss to pass as the Italian team maximised their chances of taking the riders' championship.
If the race had finished in that order Bayliss would have snatched the crown but Edwards had other ideas and squeezed past Hodgson on lap two. Then, seconds later, he accounted for Bayliss to seize control of the race. Bayliss continued to lead by a matter of inches from his title rival but knew he needed Ducati reinforcements to help him to the crown. Xaus was the man to come to his aid and the Spaniard desperately clawed his way towards the leading pair.
But the battle at the front overshadowed his efforts with Bayliss and Edwards swapping the lead before – on the final lap – the Australian tried too hard and saw his rear end step out. He needed all his skill to keep the bike upright but could not overhaul the Texan and came home second – giving Edwards the crown.
At the start of race one Edwards struggled to get away from the grid but squeezed beyond Bayliss into the first corner while Hodgson enjoyed a superb start to go third. Bayliss claimed the lead midway through the first lap but the title battle was beginning to take shape and Edwards snatched the advantage. Midway through the race the Ducati man lost his front end under braking and slid into the gravel. But Hodgson was handed a lifeline when the red flags came out just seconds later on lap 12 for oil on the track.
With the race set to be decided on aggregate times Bayliss – needing to beat Edwards by almost a second to win – got the start he needed and led into the first corner but Edwards grabbed the lead back before the first lap was out. On the final corner of the penultimate lap Bayliss snatched the advantage and immediately set about closing the 0.75 seconds gap but with only a lap to do it the Australian was just pipped on aggregate.
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