Ballyclare's Jonathan Rea was fifth in final qualifying

The Honda rider from Ballyclare started fifth on the grid but slipped down the places in the middle stages.

When Garry McCoy made a break in an attempt to get to the top four, Rea pursued him and pipped the Aussie to capture 11 championship points.

Rea's team-mate, Australian Andrew Pitt, thrilled the home fans by winning the 21-lap race.

The Phillip Island race was the second of the 2008 series.

Rea crashed out on the second lap of his debut race in Qatar and sustained a serious hand injury in the incident.

He delayed surgery on the injured hand to compete in Australia and may take in a test session in Valencia before going under the surgeon's knife.