Corser wins WSB title

Troy Corser is celebrating taking his second World Superbike championship following the cancellation of the second race at Imola in Italy, due to heavy rain.

The first race of the day saw Chris Vermeulen take victory following a race long battle with Corser. The win came courtesy of a slide by Corser, which allowed the young Ten Kate Honda rider to slip past to take a hard-fought win.

Third went to Yamaha’s Noriyuki Haga, who faced his own battle with British Ducati rider and former champion James Toseland. Toseland was riding with an injured right hand which affected his braking as he ran wide on lap fifteen.

Fifth was Steve Martin on the Foggy-Petronas FP-1, who stole past the injured Chris Walker on the PSG-1 Kawasaki.

The damp conditions led to crashes, including Pierfrancesco Chili, Andrew Pitt, and Yukio Kagayama. The latter pair remounted, with Kagayama taking 15th and Pitt 16th.

And it was the damp conditions which settled the 2005 World Superbike championship, as the second race of the day was cancelled due to heavy rain.

Following the sighting lap, Chris Vermeulen, Tory Corser and Regis Laconi went around the track in a pace car to inspect the conditions due to concerns about visibility. The riders and Race Director took the decision to cancel the race.

This gives the championship to Corser with one round remaining, and a 55-point lead making it impossible for him to be caught by Chris Vermeulen.

The two-time champion after a nine-year gap gave credit to title rival Vermeulen for agreeing to cancel the race due to safety concerns.