Super Hodgson maintains his perfect record

NEIL HODGSON maintained his perfect record to move into a commanding 85-point lead in the World Superbike Championship after another double race win at Monza.

The Burnley-born Ducati Fila rider won both races from pole position to make it eight out of eight this season, but needed a dramatic fightback to see off Gregorio Lavilla in race two.

The Alstare Suzuki rider finished third in race one before leading for long periods of race two until Hodgson who had slipped to ninth after a poor start - completed his recovery by snatching the lead with two laps left and relegating Lavilla to second.

NCR Ducati's Regis Laconi was runner-up in the opening race and PSG Ducati rider Pierfrancesco Chili took third in race two.

HM Plant Ducati rider James Toseland, from Sheffield, was fourth in race one after an incident-packed race before a quieter fifth place in race two, while Nottingham-born teammate Chris Walker took two sixths, despite the foot injuries suffered in Japan.

Carl Fogarty's Foggy Petronas Racing struggled with Troy Corser's 13th in race one all they had to show for their weekend.

Hodgson's main title rival, teammate Ruben Xaus, endured a miserable weekend. Starting from 16th after hurting himself in a qualifying crash, the Spaniard finished seventh in race one before crashing out of the second to fall 85 points behind Hodgson in the title race.

Hodgson made history with his first-race win, Ducati's 200th in the series, and breaking Troy Bayliss' 2002 record of six straight wins.

Chris Vermeulen put the pain of a hand injury to the back of his mind as he extended his World Supersport Championship lead with a dominant victory at Monza.

The Ten Kate Honda rider snapped a ligament in his right hand on Friday but scored maximum points as title rival Katsuaki Fujiwara again struggled, falling 29 points adrift in the championship after a 10th place in Italy. Jurgen van de Goorbergh finished second for Belgarda Yamaha with the Van Zon Honda of Iain McPherson third.