Held in brilliant sunshine, Ducati's Troy Bayliss led from the start, with Honda's Edwards in third place, Neil Hodgson in second with Ruben Xaus threatening all but Bayliss for position.

The cheers of the crowd for Bayliss went silent on the second lap when Edwards left Hodgson like an ugly girl at the bar, knifing his way past the HM Plant bike in a deft inside outside move that looked like it left the British rider dizzy.

Bayliss still led at this point but Edwards wasted little time in smoking past Bayliss as well; by lap six he'd snared a .343 margin over Bayliss and looked completely in control of the race. Bayliss refused to give up, trailing the Honda rider and trying his all.

On lap seven of twenty-one, Edwards had a half-second gap over Bayliss with Xaus in third place and Hodgson in fourth. But in one lap's time it had been whittled down to one tenth of a second.

Bayliss stated that he and the Corse team found something in the warm-up this morning and it is now obvious that he did but it can come with baggage with Bayliss out of shape on lap nine, allowing Edwards his first over half second lead of the race.

Haga had taken Hodgson for fourth at this point but the top three were frickin' gone: they were eight seconds in front of the Aprilia at this point.

Bayliss banged a new (race) lap record on lap eleven with a 1:48.704. Edwards still had a .571 lead. Unless Edwards was letting his tire cool, Bayliss was knocking Edwards' gap down by about a tenth of a second a lap. Edwards looks to be fully in control while Bayliss is slightly loose, sliding on the exits of the slower corners.

Bayliss knocked the gap down to .161 on lap thirteen but still looked to be sliding around a great deal to get it done.

They had completely cleared away from third place at this point. Two riders, two bikes and the world championship in the balance.

Bayliss re-took the lead on lap fourteen on the brakes into the last turn. Edwards knows he does not have to win in order to win the world championship--second place will do it. Third place won't.

Bayliss is still very loose, being knocked out of the saddle on lap fifteen. Edwards tried him on the brakes but was unable to get past.

New lap record by Bayliss 1:48.389 on lap thirteen.

Gap to third place at this point: 1.8 seconds. Xaus is hard on it but has serious ground to make up if he is to beat Edwards.

Gap to Edwards: .239.

Edwards passed Bayliss for the lead in turn one on lap seventeen. Bayliss took is back in turn four, Edwards riding wide.

Xaus is closing. He is blazing into Edwards' draft and could make things very difficult for the American.

Working lap seventeen of twenty one Bayliss led by .414 over Edwards, with a gap of .916 from Bayliss to Xaus.

Edwards blasted past Bayliss on lap nineteen with a deft late braking move, running wide and still keeping the lead. In the flux, Bayliss shuffled back by bike length or two and the pair swooped past a backmarker.

Bayliss momentarily re-took the lead, Edwards robbed him back on the inside and then moments later, blazed past again. All in two or three corners.

Edwards kept the lead and won the race, Bayliss second and Xaus third.

Amazing race.