JOHN Hopkins extended his lead to 11 points over Tommy Hill ahead of Sunday's final two title deciding races at Brands Hatch in the chase for the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship. Riding the Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki Hopkins was pushed to the limit by a determined Hill who tried everything to find a way through but it was the American who took third place, by a split second over his Swan Yamaha rival to ensure that the scrap for the country's premier title goes right down to the wire. The leading duo in the title stakes had duelled hard for third place in the Saturday afternoon race but ahead of them there was an equally intense scrap for supremacy as Michael Laverty just held off Josh Brookes by a third of a second to take his third victory of the season.

Laverty made a great start to the race, taking the lead through Paddock Hill Bend as he ran his Swan Yamaha out front, but soon he was feeling the heat from Brookes who earlier had shattered the outright lap record to put his Relentless Suzuki by TAS onto his first pole start.

Brookes closed within a tenth of a second but Laverty riding smoothly and strongly fended off the challenges from the Australian to take a third victory of the campaign and one that maintain his outside hopes of the title though he is 35 points down on Hopkins with only 50 left to play for. Laverty reflected afterwards: "I had no issues in the race having got the start I wanted. I got my head down, kept it as smooth as possible and as my gap over Josh started going down I concentrated hard, tried to make no mistakes so we could take the win." Brookes, who starts the first of the two Sunday races from pole position,admitted afterwards: "Michael rode a perfect race. I made up the ground that I had lost on the first two laps, got into a rhythm and caught him but he did not make a single mistake."

Eight seconds adrift of the leading duo were the two riders most likely to take the title and it was Hopkins who held onto the final podium finish.

Hill had made a couple of errors on the opening lap to be running in sixth place but he charged into contention by one thirds distance and then reeled in his American rival.

There was little between them over the final third and at Paddock Hill Bend on the penultimate lap Hill edged into third place though not for long before Hopkins was back in front and the American took the final podium position by only 0.107secs.

Hopkins explained: "The main objective was to beat Tommy. I can't say that was one of the most enjoyable races I've had. I'd not ridden so tense and tight before. It was tough out there - what a showdown." James Ellison took fifth on the Sorrymate.com Honda ahead of former twotimes title winner Shane Byrne who had injured his left hand in a tumble from his HM Plant Honda at Westfields but bounced back to take sixth despitestarting from the fifth row of the grid. Graeme Gowland took the victory in the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO class, finishing comfortablLY clear of his title winning WFR team-mate Glen Richards.