Bayliss retains lead in World Superbikes

Australia's Troy Bayliss extended his lead after five rounds of the Superbike World Championship despite mechanical problems that forced him out of the second race.

Bayliss, who started from pole position, was third in race one, just over half a second behind German Max Neukirchner (Suzuki), but failed to finish the second race when his factory Ducati sprang an oil leak.

Fortunately for the dual world champion, his closest title challenger Spaniard Carlos Checa could do no better than eighth in the first race on his Honda and also failed to last the distance

in race two.

Bayliss's lucky break allowed him to widen his lead over Checa by eight points to a massive 78 points (194 to 116) with nine rounds to go.

"Let's just say I'm happy to leave Monza with a bigger points lead than I had when I arrived," Bayliss said.

"I knew today's races would be hard and that proved to be the case.

"In race one I felt the bike was missing a couple of things and struggling on the long corners, but in the end I was happy to take a third place."

Japan's Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) won the second race.

Neukirchner's victory, the first for a German in world Superbikes, was well received.

He was cruelly robbed of victory in race one at Valencia when Checa cannoned into him on the last turn after he had led all the way.

"It's a great feeling and I'm sure that

there'll be much more interest in Germany now," Neukirchner said.

Australian Karl Muggeridge (Honda) equalled his best result of the season by finishing sixth after mechanical problems forced him out of race one.

Troy Corser, normally a regular podium finisher at Monza, laboured to 12th and eighth places as he again struggled to find grip on his Yamaha while his teammate Haga was again in the express lane.

"I'm finding it a bit hard to understand what's exactly happening to my bike," Corser said.

"I don't think that my bike is that much different to Nori's but it just keeps spinning and sliding and that means it's not gripping and going forward fast enough."

Corser's fellow Australian Russell Holland (Honda) was 16th and 13th.

Haga (112 points) and Neukirchner (111) made the biggest championship gains of the weekend, moving up to third and fourth in the standings.