CARL Fogarty defied Superbike logic to snatch an amazing double at Monza.

The reigning World Superbike champion sensationally pipped American Colin Edwards on the line in the second race to win by just five thousandths of a second in front of 65,000 fans.

Edwards, who won both last year's races, had been expected to win at a stroll on a track that suited the more powerful Castrol Hondas.

But Fogarty completed his own thrilling double on an incredible 190mph last lap of race two to strecth his championship lead to 55 points.

Entering the final lap tucked in nicely behind Edwards and ready to exploit the slipstream, Fogarty lost ground three corners out with a mistake which sent him over the rumble strips.

But that just served to spur him on and he made up the ground at the next two corners.

Then, on the Parabolica final bend, Fogarty flew wide off the normal racing line to squeeze home, although officials initially awarded the race to Edwards.

A photo finish, however, confirmed, that Fogarty had done just enough.

Foggy said: "When Colin went ahead into the Parabolica, I thought of the Philip Island race with Troy.

"I came out of the curve at the right speed to pass him on the line. "I have to say I now love the Parabolica and Monza.

"We were in Italy and that makes these two wins even more special for Ducati.

"I am mentally exhausted. You cannot have two better races than that.

"To win by that margin is not just close - it's amazing. But I have lost by that margin before.

"And after I had crossed the line in the second race, I felt I had won only to see the mechanics indicate that I had come second. I had got off my bike before realising it had all changed."

It was the same first three in the first race after Fogarty held off Edwards and Suzuki's Pier-Francesco Chili in another thrilling 18-lap affair at the high-speed track.

Fogarty and team-mate Troy Corser led in the early stages before Edwards - starting from pole position - battled back to lead on the eighth lap.

Fogarty took the lead at the second chicane on the final lap and held on for victory. First race result: 1 Carl Fogarty, GB (Ducati) 32m 13.009s, 2 Colin Edwards, USA (Castrol Honda) 32m 13.129s, 3 Pier-Francesco Chili, Italy (Suzuki) 32m 13.556s, 4 Troy Corser, Australia (Ducati) 32m 24.140s, 5 Aaron Slight, New Zealand (Castrol Honda) 32m 26.962s, 6 Noriyuki Haga, Japan (Yamaha) 32m 27.946s, 7 Akira Yanagawa, Japan (Kawasaki) 32m 28.265s, 8 Gregorio Lavilla, Spain (Kawasaki) 32m 39.136s, 9 Peter Goddard, Australia (Aprilia) 32m 39.254s, 10 Andy Meklau, Austria (Ducati) 32m 39.844s.

Second race result: 1 Carl Fogarty, GB (Ducati) 32m 18.285s, 2 Colin Edwards, USA (Castrol Honda) 32m 18.290s, 3 Pier-Francesco Chili, Italy (Suzuki) 32m 18.829s, 4 Troy Corser, Australia (Ducati) 32m 26.548s, 5 Akira Yanagawa, Japan (Kawasaki) 32m 30.734s, 6 Noriyuki Haga, Japan (Yamaha) 32m 30.763s, 7 Gregorio Lavilla, Spain (Kawasaki) 32m 31.049s, 8 Andy Meklau, Austria (Ducati) 32m 47.006s, 9 Katsuaki Fujiwara, Japan (Suzuki) 32m 47.085s 10 Vittoriano Guareschi, Italy (Yamaha) 33m 00.558s.

Championship points after five of 13 rounds: 1 Fogarty 217, 2 Edwards 162, 3 Corser 157, 4 Yanagawa 126, 5 Slight 115, 6 Haga 95, 7 Chili 85, 8 Lavilla 58, 9 Fujiwara 55, 10 Doriano Romboni, Italy (Ducati) 44.

Next round: June 13 - Nurburgring, Germany

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.