Santander Yamaha's Noriyuki Haga has taken the World Superbike double win at Vallelunga this afternoon in a race that had high drama at the start and finish.

Xerox Ducati's Troy Bayliss was set to wrap up the title and only had a handful of corners to go on the last lap. Team-mate Michel Fabrizio had just got past Troy Corser which meant that Bayliss only had to finish in second to win the title.

However, the affable Aussie was desperate to get past Haga and take the win, he ran into the hairpin too fast, trailing the front brake, and went down. He remounted to finish behind Britain's Chris Walker but will now have to wait until Magny Cours to take his third WSB title.

As the lights went out at the start, Bayliss got away in the lead and swept over the left of the track to stop Haga coming around the outside. Max Biaggi got tangled up with the back of Corser's Yamaha, got in his front brake caught up and went down at 130mph, collecting Ten Kate's Kenan Sofuoglu in the process.

Both riders walked away from the crash but the bikes were not so lucky, with Sofuoglu's Fireblade looking as if it is destined for the scrap heap and Biaggi's 1098F08 not faring much better.

The battle for the win was only ever about Haga and Bayliss, with the pair twice leaning on each other, and actually touching and swapping paint along the start/finish straight and going into the first corner.

Corser was waiting to pick up the pieces and yo-yo'd up to the pair before dropping back again. Fabrizio started his charge with seven laps to go, and got last Corser on the final lap, handing Bayliss the title, and probably cementing his contract with Davide Tardozzi for next season.

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