Gregorio Lavilla sealed the Bennetts British Superbike crown with a victory and then a second place to his Airwaves Ducati team-mate Leon Haslam in the final round at Brands Hatch.

The Spanish rider had stared the campaign without a contract, merely deputising in the team for their injured rider James Haydon in the opening two rounds, but he packed the points, and earned the ride for the rest of the season.

Lavilla matured and his challenge to the dominant HM Plant Honda developed, and then intensified in the second half of the season in which he enjoyed a brilliant run of six victories and five second placings in 11 outings.

Haydon, riding for Rizla Suzuki, had started from pole, but, he was beaten away from the line by the determined Haslam who led for four laps before Lavilla charged through at Druids, to dictate terms and take the victory by a third of a second.

Ryuichi Kiyonari, his only rival for the crown, was back in fourth place, adrift of Haydon, and that meant Lavilla needed only a single point from the second race of the day to secure his first major crown.

Haslam won the second race, with Lavilla shattering the outright lap record as he finished in second place to take the champion's trophy.

"Fantastic - it is a great feeling but I did not expect to be standing here at the start of the season. My thanks to the team. My bike has been consistent, very good. After the summer break we raced on circuits I knew and started winning regularly, taking points back from the Hondas.

"I think you say Mission Complete - it has been a great year and we have finished it well," smiled the 30 year old from Tarragona. Kiyonari, was again fourth, this time finishing adrift of Steve Plater riding the Hydrex Honda.

The GSE team, running during the season under the Airwaves banner, have confirmed that they will be contesting the British Championship in 2006 and have already secured Haslam to ride for them: "I can hardly wait for the start of the season - I can't thank the team enough and to have two 1-2 finishes in each of the final two races in just brilliant."

Haslam finished the season in fourth place in the rankings, adrift of Michael Rutter, sixth and eighth here, and who has learned that he will not have his contract with the HM Plant Honda team renewed for next season - Kiyonari, who finished as runner-up 461-429 down on Lavilla, will however be back next year with the Louth based team.

Marty Nutt was the top British Superbike Cup finisher in the opening race, ahead of Malcolm Ashley and Phil Giles, while Danny Beaumont took the honours next time out, with Ashley and Giles packing the placings. Leon Camier clinched the Metabo British Supersport crown with a fifth place in a race stopped a lap early after Pere Riba crashed out. The Padgetts Honda rider had started with a 22 points advantage and needed only a top twelve finish to add this title to his 2001 British 125cc Championship success. Stuart Easton won the race, ahead of championship runner-up Craig Jones and Cal Crutchlow.

Christian Elkin retained the British 125cc crown for a second year as he ended a roller-coaster campaign on a winning note in a dramatic race in which his two rivals both had mechanical problems - James Westmoreland, who went into the race with a single point advantage, was sidelined while lying third. Earlier Rob Guiver had stopped because of a broken chain. Sam Lowes, just 15 years old, finished second, ahead of another ACU Academy Cup rider Dan Linfoot.

Tommy Bridewell took the victory, his fourth of the season, in the final round of the Virgin Mobile Cup as Jon Boy Lee tumbled out of the lead with a couple of laps to go - overall series winner Billy McConnell was back in seventh place.

Second place was just champion for Krysal Racing Yamaha rider Lee Jackson in the Metzleler Racetec National Superstocks - Craig Fitazpatrick took the victory.

Peter Ward, already assured of the Metzeler Racetec Superstock Cup, celebrated with a seasonal seventh victory, finally overcoming the hard riding Bob Collins, in the closing stages of the race in which the series' runner-up Paul Veazey finished third.