Pressure is no barrier for Bayliss

The Australian Troy Bayliss felt a lot of pressure to do well in his last professional year in the sport.

Troy Bayliss said he was sure of winning the Superbike Championship this year despite coming under a lot of pressure to perform in his farewell season in the sport. The Australian won the championship after finishing third in race one at Magny-Cours on Sunday. The Ducati Xerox rider claimed his third title after crossing the line behind race winner Noriyuki Haga and second-placed Fonsi Nieto. The veteran celebrated his title win in style by leading the field home in race two.

Bayliss, 39, now has an insurmountable lead in the riders' championship with one round remaining at Portimao in Portugal. "This last championship has been up and down the whole year," said Bayliss. "Halfway through the year, though, we were very confident that everything was looking good. "I had a lot of pressure, a lot of things on my mind the whole year. It's been pretty strenuous." Japan's Haga dominated race one from pole as he claimed his third straight win, finishing 6.223secs ahead of Nieto, but Bayliss's third place was enough for him to add to the world titles he won in 2001 and 2006.

The Australian, who started from third on the grid, was 6.875secs off the pace but his main rival for the title, compatriot Troy Corser, could only manage sixth on the Yamaha. Italy's Max Biaggi, on the Ducati, and Suzuki rider Max Neukirchner, of Germany, were fourth and fifth respectively in race one. Bayliss had earlier slipped past both Haga and Nieto into the quick first left-hand corner to take the lead.

The Australian allowed the Japanese rider and Nieto to pass him, though, as he looked to secure the third-placed finish which would give him the title. Bayliss, the pressure now lifted from his shoulders, went wheel-to-wheel with Haga in the second race of the day. And this time he got the better of his Japanese rival as the two exchanged the lead several times before Bayliss made the decisive move on the penultimate lap to come home with 0.909secs to spare and clinch his 50th victory in his 150th race.

Corser and Spanish duo Carlos Checa and Ruben Xaus completed the top five. * PA Sport