Edwards did battle, in amazing fashion, with rival Troy Bayliss over two 21-lap races at the 3.04-mile circuit and the 28-year-old Texan completed an amazing turnaround in the 2002 championship.

Adding to the drama, 10 minutes prior to the first race, were spots of rain which luckily blew over and the scene was set for an epic showdown. Edwards, starting from pole position, rocketed into a two-second lead in the opening 21-lap race only for the race to be stopped on the 12th lap due to oil on the circuit.

Edwards and Bayliss did battle in the re-start and Edwards eventually crossed the finish line behind his rival but close enough to ensure victory was his when the two aggregate times were added to together.

"That was pretty close," said Edwards. "It was difficult to know what to do at times. I knew I could let Troy through but then I couldn't afford him pulling away more than 0.7s. In the first part of the race I was comfortable running the times and holding the lead but then I saw the oil flags and I was held up at the chicane by a lapped rider so Troy closed in again."

Behind race runner-up Bayliss came Spaniard Ruben Xaus while fourth-placed Neil Hodgson finished fourth after crashing on the oil in the original race. Aprilia's Noriyuki Haga took fifth after being edged out of fourth by Hodgson in the closing stages.

Edwards led the championship by six points before the second race, knowing a second place finish would the secure the title. But Edwards was intent on ending the season with nine straight wins and one of the best races of the year developed.

SP-2 rider Edwards took the lead on the penultimate lap from Bayliss but the hard-riding Australian hit back on the last lap, only for Edwards to force his way through to secure the 31st victory of his career and the world title.

"What a day," said Edwards. "On paper the two race wins were ours but the job's still got to be done. My team has done a fantastic job, especially today when we needed it most. I knew what Troy's game was when he got in front and tried to slow the pace so Ruben could catch up. I had no choice but to get back in front and decide the championship that way."

"Troy's been really good about it, a great guy and he's given it everything today when he knew we were in better shape. It's great that it's all over, there's nothing else left but to party!"

Xaus again took third while Haga endured another race-long battle with Hodgson for fourth, this time with the Japanese rider coming out on top.

Honda's Fabien Foret won the World Supersport title at Imola in Italy on Sunday after taking a calculated fifth place on his CBR600 in a race won by Katsuaki Fujiwara.

Fujiwara won the 12th and final round of the year but it was Frenchman Foret second for much of the race who dropped back to fifth to secure his first world title and a first for his Dutch Ten Kate Honda team.

New world champion Foret commented: "I've won races this year without putting as much thought in as I did into today's race. Katsuaki knew he had to win and he did that, I knew I could afford eighth place so I did what I had to do."

He added: "To win the world championship is fantastic. We've worked so hard for this all year and I'm just so please for Gerrit and the Ten Kate team that we have finally done it."