James Toseland
James Toseland powered clear at the top of the World Superbike Championship standings after coming away with a win and a second place from two races at Phillip Island in Australia.
The Briton held off a spirited challenge from defending champion Troy Bayliss to win the day's second race at the 4.4km track having earlier finished second behind the home favourite in race one.
The double podium elevates the 2004 champion to a 16-point championship lead over former MotoGP star Max Biaggi, the Alstare Suzuki rider having left Australia with a podium in race one and a fourth in race two.
Ducati Xerox rider Bayliss, meanwhile, surged into third place in the standings on the back of an improved performance at his home race, having struggled at the season opener in Losail a fortnight ago.
Toseland's race-two triumph came despite a bad start from second place on the grid, but the 26-year-old Ten Kate Honda rider soon hit the front by passing both Bayliss and the fast-starting Biaggi with a textbook move on lap three.
Bayliss and Toseland then raced clear of a heated battle for third place involving Biaggi and Motor Italia Yamaha team-mates Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga, with the leading pair rarely separated by more than a second as they battled to the flag.
And Toseland withstood the pressure of the reigning champion to claim the win by just 0.274 seconds.
Haga claimed third place, narrowly ahead of the closing Biaggi, while Corser came fifth and Ruben Xaus rounded out the top six on his Sterilgada Ducati.
5th March 2007
