Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen got away best with Chambon giving chase.  Curtain was running eighth before making it up to seventh and looking to make more places before Charpentier made a big mistake, which meant Curtain had to take evasive action and lost some time.

The two Ten Kate riders started to pull away from Chambon and their pursuers.  Curtain had made sixth place and held off Fujiwara for a couple of laps before the second placed man in the championship made his way past the Australian Supersport Champion.

Fujiwara went down a lap later after losing the front, and miraculously he did not get cleaned up by Curtain and the other riders as they split between the standing Fujiwara in the middle of the track.  Again Curtain was the worst off after having to take avoiding action, again after another riders demise.

Muggeridge and Vermeulen continued to set the pace out in front with Muggeridge leading until around half race distance, when Vermeulen got the better of him.  Jurgen Van Der Goorbergh was running third a fair way behind the Ten Kate pair and was being chased by Nannelli with Curtain still trying hard in fifth, and slowly closing on Nannelli.

Kevin Curtain then set the fastest lap on lap 16 and closed right on to the rear of Nannelli to threaten for fourth.  Vermeulen and Muggeridge were still fighting tooth and nail out in front. 

Well today was just not going to be Kevin Curtain's day, after challenging Nannelli for fourth his Yamaha called it a day and he was forced to retire with only a few laps remaining.  But he just went to show once again that he is a world class rider who on a machine he hasn't ridden all year, made plenty of the World Championship regulars look more than a little ordinary.  Just as half a dozen of Australia's best racers still on the domestic scene are capable of doing given half a chance.

Muggeridge put a move on Vermeulen on the final lap to take the win to make it a Ten Kate 1-2 and an Australian 1-2 and also handed Chris Vermeulen the 2003 World Supersport Championship while Muggas took the race win.

A great bloke won the race, and a great bloke wins the world championship.

Vermeulen after the race, “It’s unbelievable actually, it’s a completely different feeling than I expected but I am over the moon, Obviously I was thinking more of the championship but I got a two out on my board, telling me Fujiwara was out of the race, so I thought now I can hang on.”

Vermeulen’s rise to the top has been stunning. A former junior dirt bike champion, who was hand picked by Barry Sheene at the tender age of 18 to race in the British Championship. Three short years later he’s the world champion and in an ironic and fateful twist his CBR600RR Honda carried the number 7, a number made famous by the late Sheene.

“There is no doubting without Barry’s influence I wouldn’t be standing here today. I wish he was here to see it,” The Queenslander said.

Vermeulen is tipped to be moving into World Superbikes next year, but before that there’s the final round of the series in France in 3 weeks. Vermeulen chasing one more record before the year ends.

“The all time winning record in a year is five. I need one more to equal that.”