And while both have a trophy to take home, the pair did not enjoy a perfect weekend.

Bayliss led the first race convincingly before his tyre went off and pushed him back to sixth place as Corser charged through to clinch victory.

Corser was in contention for a second win in race two, running in third before crashing out.

That left Briton James Toseland in the lead, but Bayliss stalked him before making his move two-thirds of the way through the race.

The Ducati star then tore away to win by 5.5sec from Toseland, with Brazil's Alex Barros third.

It was the first time Bayliss had won a race since a Superbike round at Laguna Seca halfway through the 2002 season.

The 36-year-old, who scored three podiums in MotoGP before a poor 2005 season, returned to Superbikes this year. He was pleased to return to the top of the podium.

"It just feels like it should. It's back to normal," Bayliss said.

"It has been a bit of a stint. I always want to win, but sometimes you are not in a position to do that. Now I'm back in a team with lots of experience and a bike that suits me and I am looking forward to every time I go out on the bike."

The former World Superbike champion said he tried to push Toseland as hard as he could in race two, looking for a chance to pass.

"I showed him a wheel here and there and hoped he made a mistake, but he didn't," he said.

Bayliss passed Toseland and then built up a lead, but said the rear tyre started to wear again with about three laps to go.

"It happened just like it did in the first race. It was really difficult and I thought that James was going to come back at the end, but I had put a few good laps in and it was enough."

Toseland finished third in the opening race yesterday and was content with his second place behind Bayliss in race two.

"He (Bayliss) was unlucky not to win the first race so to win was really his just desserts," Toseland said. "I pushed him hard, just in case he had a problem with his tyres like he did in race one, but he didn't."

Corser took the opening race win after holding off the hard-charging Barros, who has switched to Superbikes after failing to secure a ride in MotoGP.

The reigning World Superbike champion could only watch as Bayliss tore away in the opening laps and built up a lead of close to 6sec.

But Corser said he was not worried because he knew it wouldn't last.

"He (Bayliss) could go out and go real fast on race tyres but I think he just over-cooked them. It is a long, long race around here," Corser said.

"Troy was faster for the first half, but I thought he was not going to be able to hold that pace for the whole race. I used my head, I didn't panic."

Bayliss said his tyre breakdown was just a freak thing and was angered by Corser's comment, suggesting his rival would also have tried to build a lead if he was able to.

"He would have if he could go that fast. No-one else can go that fast, they haven't all weekend," Bayliss said.

"With 11 laps to go, boom, it went down that fast I couldn't even touch the gas," Bayliss said. "I was really worried. I didn't want it to explode on the fast left-hander down the back or coming onto the straight."

Once Bayliss went backwards through the pack, Corser faced another challenge as Barros pushed him hard.

Barros sat right on Corser's rear tyre for the final lap and looked like he would make a lunge with two corners to go, but couldn't make it past.

"I guessed Alex was there. I watched him do many laps around here in MotoGP, so I just covered my lines," Corser said.

Australian Andrew Pitt finished ninth in race one, but improved in the second race to come home in fifth place.

Melbourne rider Steve Martin's brilliant fourth position on the grid didn't help him and he worked his underpowered Foggy Petronas hard to finish 14th and 15th yesterday.

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