Sterilgarda Yamaha's Ben Spies has taken the 2009 World Superbike Championship in his rookie year after finishing race two at Portimao in fifth place this afternoon.

The gap between Spies and Xerox Ducati's Noriyuki Haga was six points so team manager Davide Tardozzi will now be kicking himself he allowed Fabrizio to win a race at Imola.

Fabrizio himself took the chequered flag ahead of team-mate Haga with Ten Kate Honda's Jonathan Rea in third after the young Irishman had led for a good number of laps before the Ducatis got past in the closing stages.

Sterilgarda Ducati's Shane Byrne will have done his 2010 job prospects the world of good with a fourth place and the 2008 British Superbike Champion will have impressed as he got the holeshot and led for the first five laps.

Rea then went past the Londoner while Spies slowly slipped down the order but still had championship rival Haga behind him. While Biaggi was holding third, Fabrizio went past Haga in an attempt to tow Haga closer to the front.

With 17 laps to go, Byrne re-passed Rea for the lead and a lap later, Biaggi went underneath Spies into turn one and Haga put the same move on the American a lap later.

Haga then went past his championship rival as Stiggy Honda's Leon Haslam pulled into the pits which promoted Aprilia's Leon Camier to seventh place just after he had got past Troy Corser on the BMW.

Rea once again passed Byrne into turn one with 12 laps to go and Fabrizio did the same a lap later, then went on to go past Rea and the Honda man didn't have a reply for a couple of laps.

With five to go, Rea eventually got back past the Italian as Haga caught and passed Byrne while the battle for the lead chopped and changed again. On the last lap, Fabrizio got past the Irishman down the start/finish straight and a last-ditch manoeuvre by Rea saw him run wide and Haga went past as well.
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