Australian Troy Bayliss, running Superman Returns graphics on his Ducati 99F06, leathers and helmet, has extended his lead in the 2006 World Superbike title after a typically thrilling day’s racing at Brands Hatch.

The 37-year-old shared wins with Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha YZF-R1) on the superb dips and undulations of the spectator-friendly 4.197km circuit, and also moved 77pts clear of the Japanese ace with four rounds remaining.

With title holder Troy Corser (Suzuki GSX-R1000) kept in check by rear tyre problems, Andrew Pitt (YZF-R1) was the next best Australian at Brands Hatch – fourth in race one, before joining Haga and Bayliss on the podium in race two.

However, Pitt’s poor starts meant that he was never quite close enough to consistently challenge the troika of round eight front-runners: Bayliss, James Toseland (Honda CBR100RR) and Haga.

In race one, Bayliss and Haga swapped the lead three times in the first 15 laps before the Australian slowly started to take control – with Toseland in pursuit, not the fading ‘Samurai of Slide’.

Bayliss eventually claimed the spoils by 1.657 seconds over Toseland, who set a new lap record on lap four. Meanwhile, it was Ducati’s 250th win in World Superbike guise – way in front of Honda on 87.

"I had a bit of a battle with Nori (in race one) but I didn't show all my cards,” said Bayliss. “I had to follow him for a while but I was pretty much on the limit myself. Then Nori started to get a little bit slower so I passed him.

“I could see that James was coming and thought that this was the time to go because once James got there, there was no way he was going to let go. I put three or four laps in really good and that was it."

It was a similar battle for victory in race two, but this time Haga had the edge over Bayliss.

"I love having a hard and fair race with Nori and as much as I wanted that second win, I probably messed up a little bit when I let Nori pass twice,” said Bayliss. “I wanted to have a look at his form and the second time I shouldn't have done it but we've increased our points lead a little bit so I'm really happy with the weekend."

Haga - who has won four of the last six World Superbike races at Brands Hatch - has now moved to 230pts, while Bayliss is sitting pretty on 307. The top six is completed by Toseland (219), Corser (193), Brazilian Alex Barros (CBR1000RR, 163) and Pitt (157).

Pitt was again in great touch at Brands Hatch, although he gave his opposition just too much of a head start.

"I made a terrible start in both races, which is surprising as our R1 is normally one of the quickest bikes off the line,” said Pitt. “I think that I was a bit anxious and just gave it too many revs, but each time I lost a lot of places. I just had to get my head down and get through as quickly as possible.

“My rhythm was good and I was pleased with my fourth place in race one, so to top it off with a podium is a fantastic end to the day. I'm especially pleased as I have some friends over from Australia for this race. They've come a long way so it is great to give them something to cheer."

Pitt passed Toseland on lap 19 of race two, although Haga and Bayliss were already too far in front to make a serious impression.

Melbourne’s Steve Martin (Foggy Petronas FP1) finished just out of the points with 17th and 16th places, while Karl Muggeridge (CBR100RR), who started from third on the grid, crashed out of both races on lap five.

Finally, Josh Brookes (Kawasaki ZX-10R) was 19th, before retiring to the pits in race two.

In World Supersport, it was a second successive Aussie one-two – but this time 23-year-old Broc Parkes was too good for teammate Kevin Curtain (both Yamaha YZF-R6s).

Parkes, who started from pole position, pulled away in the second half of the race to notch his second class win, while slow-starter Curtain just pipped Honda’s Kenan Sofuoglu (CBR600RR) for second.

World champion Sebastien Charpentier (CBR600RR) finished sixth, and now shares co-leadership in this year’s title with Curtain. Both are on 131pts, while Parkes is looming on 119.

Next round: Assen, Netherlands, September 1-3