Double Dutch for Bayliss

Eurosport - Mon, 28 Apr 12:39:00 2008

Troy Bayliss secured a double race win at Assen to stretch his World Superbike championship lead to 70 points.

The Australian had put his Xerox Ducati on pole position and also took both race wins in the Netherlands as he continued to dominate his final series before retirement.

Bayliss took his points total to 178 as Spaniard Carlos Checa moved up to second in the standings after two podium finishes at Assen on the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda.

Bayliss was delighted with his perfect weekend which saw him add his second double race win of the season to pole position.

"It's been an incredible weekend, taking pole and two race wins is a great way to finish it off," he said.

Bayliss won the first race after Japanese rider Yukio Kagayama made a mistake while leading at one third distance.

Bayliss took over at the front and from that point was able to control the race to take the victory.
Checa waited patiently before easing past Kagayama's Alstare Suzuki team-mate Max Neukirchner to take the runner-up spot, with Kagayama back in fourth ahead of Troy Corser on the Yamaha Motor Italia machine.

A relieved Bayliss, who saw the condition of his tyres deteriorate late in the race, said: "I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

"I made a really good start but it's a long time to be out there [in the lead] by yourself.

"I was looking around more than normal but I wanted to see where Carlos was."

Checa had taken out Neukirchner at the previous round in Valencia with a desperate late pass and did not want a repeat at Assen.

"I have thought about what happened in Valencia," the Spaniard said. "My front tyre was not so good but when I saw a place where I could pass Max I went past him."

Race two was a four-way battle at the front with Bayliss leading Japan's Nori Haga on the Yamaha Motor Italia machine, German Neukirchner and the Sterilgarda Ducati of Ruben Xaus.

Bayliss and Haga broke away and it was the Australian who held off his rival to complete his double race win.

Xaus had got the better of Neukirchner but his hopes of a podium spot were dashed in the closing stages as Checa closed in and grabbed third place.

In the Supersport class, Briton Jonathan Rea missed out on victory by just one hundredth of a second as Ten Kate Honda team-mate Andrew Pitt claimed a narrow victory.

Parkalgar Honda's Craig Jones led the race briefly before fading, and had to settle for a ninth-place finish.

Superbike Race one results
1. Troy Bayliss (Aus) Ducati 36:50.907;
2. Carlos Checa (Esp) Honda 36:53.039;
3. Max Neukirchner (Ger) Suzuki 36:53.086;
4. Yukio Kagayama (Jpn) Suzuki 37:01.826;
5. Troy Corser (Aus) Yamaha 37:01.958;
6. Jakub Smrz (Cze) Ducati 37:02.886;
7. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Jpn) Honda 37:06.091;
8. Makoto Tamada (Jpn) Kawasaki 37:09.302;
9. Gregorio Lavilla (Esp) Honda 37:09.541;
10. Max Biaggi (Ita) Ducati 37:11.606;
11. Regis Laconi (Fra) Kawasaki 37:16.666;
12. Kenan Sofuoglu (Tur) Honda 37:16.971

Race two results
1. Troy Bayliss (Aus) Ducati 36:46.238;
2. Noriyuki Haga (Jpn) Yamaha 36:46.320;
3. Carlos Checa (Esp) Honda 36:52.574;
4. Ruben Xaus (Esp) Ducati 36:53.813;
5. Max Neukirchner (Ger) Suzuki 36:54.249;
6. Yukio Kagayama (Jpn) Suzuki 37:00.237;
7. Gregorio Lavilla (Esp) Honda 37:01.453;
8. Jakub Smrz (Cze) Ducati 37:02.614;
9. Makoto Tamada (Jpn) Kawasaki 37:03.507;
10. Troy Corser (Aus) Yamaha 37:04.618;
11. Fonsi Nieto (Esp) Suzuki 37:05.164;
12. Max Biaggi (Ita) Ducati 37:07.690

Championship standings
1. Troy Bayliss (Aus) Ducati 178pts;
2. Carlos Checa (Esp) Honda 108;
3. Troy Corser (Aus) Yamaha 89;
4. Fonsi Nieto (Esp) Suzuki 85;
5. Ruben Xaus (Esp) Ducati 81;
6. Noriyuki Haga (Jpn) Yamaha 67;
7. Max Neukirchner (Ger) Suzuki 66;
8. Max Biaggi (Ita) Ducati 54;