 Two-time champion Bayliss is aiming to retire on a high note |
Troy Bayliss won both World Superbikes races at Phillip Island after starting from pole on his home circuit. The 38-year-old Australian, who retires at the end of the season, now has three victories in four starts in 2008. The Ducati rider cruised home in Sunday's first race ahead of compatriot Troy Corser (Yamaha) with Italian team-mate Michel Fabrizio third. In race two, Bayliss finished 1.1 secs ahead of Spaniards Carlos Checa (Honda) and Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki). Max Biaggi, who started the day second behind Bayliss in the championship standings, suffered a high-speed spill in the second race which left him with a broken left wrist. He was lucky to escape more serious injury as his bike spun through the air and narrowly missed him as he lay in the gravel after the crash. His unproductive weekend saw him slip to seventh in the world rankings. Corser passed Bayliss for the lead in the second race, but was among several riders given ride-through penalties for jump-starts.  | 606: DEBATE |
Race one had to be restarted after Fabrizio stalled on the grid and was hit from behind by Vittorio Iannuzzo and David Checa. He lost his right boot and rear tyre in the incident, but after treatment in the pit lane finished third in the restarted race. Iannuzzo was also injured in the incident, which was followed by Australian Russell Holland going into the back of Carlos Checa, although both riders escaped serious injury. Bayliss, who was first and fourth in the opening two races of the season in Doha, now leads the championship standings by 27 points. The third round takes place in Valencia on 6 April. World Superbikes - Phillip Island results:First race: 1 T Bayliss (Aus) Ducati, 34 mins 22.933 secs 2 T Corser (Aus) Yamaha @ 4.221 secs 3 M Fabrizio (It) Ducati, @ 4.738 4 R Xaus (Sp) Ducati, @ 5.171 5 F Nieto (Sp) Suzuki, @ 5.543 6 C Checa (Sp) Honda, @ 5.895 7 M Neukirchner (Ger) Suzuki, @ 5.964 8 N Haga (Jpn) Yamaha, @ 14.826 9 R Kiyonari (Jpn) Honda, @ 18.899 10 R Rolfo (It) Honda, @ 20.633 Second Race: 1T Bayliss (Aus), 34:35.284 2 C Checa (Sp), @ 1.127 secs 3 F Nieto (Sp), @ 4.395 4 R Xaus (Sp), @ 6.621 5 M Neukirchner (Ger), @ 11.550 6 R Kiyonari (Jpn), @ 11.620 7 N Haga (Jpn), @ 12.049 8 G Lavilla (Sp), @ 12.134 9 R Holland (Aus) Honda @ 13.462 10 K Muggeridge (Aus) @ Honda 15.519
Overall standings after two of 15 rounds 1 T Bayliss 88 points 2 F Nieto, 61 3 R Xaus, 59 4 T Corser, 45 5 C Checa, 45 6 M Neukirchner, 39 7 M Biaggi, 36 8 M Fabrizio, 34 9 N Haga, 22 10 G Lavilla, 18
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