Full release from Kawasaki for the WSBK race:
TOP TEN FOR WALKER AND IZUTSU AS BAYLISS DOES THE DOUBLE
Reigning World Champion Troy Bayliss scored a home circuit double at Phillip Island today, with the Australian joined on the podium by Colin Edwards and Ruben Xaus in both races. For Fuchs Kawasaki riders, Hitoyasu Izutsu and Chris Walker, it was a day of mixed emotions at Phillip Island. After fighting his way through to sixth place in race one, to finish as the highest placed four-cylinder rider, Izutsu crashed out of fourth place in race two, whilst battling with Neil Hodgson and Noriyuki Haga.
'It was good to finish as the top four-cylinder rider again in race one, but I was a bit disappointed with my crash in race two,' said Izutsu. 'I was having a good race and fighting with Hodgson and Haga, but I had to push real hard to stay on terms with them. I managed to force my way through into fourth place, but then lost the front going into MG corner on lap 17. It wasn't so much a mistake; more a case of knowing that if I didn't push it as hard as I was, then it wasn't going to be long before I found myself back in sixth place again.'
Two ninth place finishes leave Chris Walker joint seventh in the championship standings, tied on points with team-mate Izutsu. The results may have been the same, but the two races couldn't have been more different for Walker.
'If it hadn't been such hard work, then race one would have been a bit boring,' said Walker. 'I got a really good start, moving up to about sixth place in the first turn, but then I got boxed in and had to roll it off. You never really recover from that and, once I'd worked my way past Frankie Chili, I ended up circulating on my own. I could see the group of riders in front, but they were just too far away for me to close the gap.'
'Race two was completely different,' continued the 29-year-old British rider. 'I caught Toseland and Lavilla and, for the first time this year, I actually felt like I was racing; it felt real good. I was having problems with sweat getting into my bad eye, so I didn't want to risk putting in a hard pass on either rider to try and take seventh, but you can bet I won't hesitate when I'm back to 100% fitness! Overall, I enjoyed the second race and I'm looking forward to the next one in South Africa.'
Fuchs Kawasaki Team Manager, Harald Eckl: 'I couldn't have asked any more of Hitoyasu and Chris this weekend. They both put in good performances today, against extremely strong opposition. Hitoyasu's crash in the second race was a good illustration of just how hard you have to push to stay on terms with the leading group of riders. Despite his condition, Chris is improving every time he gets on the bike. I don't think it's going to be too much longer before he's fighting with Hitoyasu to finish as the top four-cylinder rider.
Superbike Race One Result
1. Troy Bayliss, Australia (Ducati) 34'30.102
2. Colin Edwards, USA (Castrol Honda) 34'32.571
3. Ruben Xaus, Spain (Ducati) 34'40.162
4. Ben Bostrom, USA (Ducati) 34'51.234
5. Neil Hodgson, GB (Ducati) 34'51.320
6. Hitoyasu Izutsu, Japan (Fuchs Kawasaki) 35'08.025
7. Gregorio Lavilla, Spain (Suzuki) 35'08.111
8. James Toseland, GB (Ducati) 35'11.240
9. Chris Walker, GB (Fuchs Kawasaki) 35'20.981
10. Lucio Pedercini, Italy (Ducati) 35'31.648
Superbike Race Two Result
1. Troy Bayliss, Australia (Ducati) 34'35.633
2. Colin Edwards, USA (Honda) 34'38.105
3. Ruben Xaus, Spain (Ducati) 34'45.315
4. Neil Hodgson, GB (Ducati) 34'54.546
5. Ben Bostrom, USA (Ducati) 34'54.577
6. Noriyuki Haga, Japan (Aprilia) 34'55.206
7. James Toseland, GB (Ducati) 35'08.589
8. Gregorio Lavilla, Spain (Suzuki) 35'08.634
9. Chris Walker, GB (Fuchs Kawasaki) 35'08.718
10. Juan Borja, Spain (Ducati) 35'37.515
World Superbike Championship Points
1. Troy Bayliss 100
2. Colin Edwards 69
3. Ben Bostrom 53
4. Noriyuki Haga 50
5. Neil Hodgson 45
6. Ruben Xaus 43
7. Hitoyasu Izutsu 29
8. Chris Walker 29
9. James Toseland 27
10. Gregorio Lavilla 25
Next round: April 7, Kyalami, South Africa
<font color=red>Live it</font color=red> <font color=blue>></font color=blue> <font color=red>Ride it</font color=red> <font color=blue>></font color=blue> <font color=red>Race it</font color=red>
