The 2005 World Superbike season saw the return of the factory-supported Suzukis to the championship - and it was the GSXR1000 K5 that proved to be the bike that gave Australian Troy Corser his second WSBK crown.

_{source: crash.net by Mark Dowling}

The race for the title was an Australian-dominated affair, with Corser usually having to fight for wins and podiums against fellow countryman Chris Vermeulen, riding a Ten Kate Honda, while it was a poor year in comparison for the 2004 champion, Briton James Toseland, who finished a distant fourth in the standings on his Xerox Ducati, scoring just 254 points to Corser's 433.

The first third of the season saw little in the way of action at the front, Troy Corser taking what appeared to be his routine Superpole before blasting away at the front to lead by several seconds by the end of the race. Out of the first eight races, only Corser's team mate, Japanese rider Yukio Kagayama and Vermeulen prevented the Alstare man from taking a clean sweep, as the duo picked up a win apiece.

One early surprise in season was Ducati's sudden lack of form. Whereas 2003 and 2004 had been all about which Ducati was fastest, the factory team were struggling to make it onto the bottom step of the podium, never mind the top.

In particular, Toseland had a nightmare at Philip Island, finishing 14th in race one and colliding with the Ten Kate Honda of Karl Muggeridge to finish the second weekend of the championship with a 73-point deficit to Corser.

Elsewhere, there were strong performances from the German Max Neukirchner, who gained his first podium riding a Klaffi Honda in only his fourth World Superbike race, and former 500cc rider Norick Abe, riding a Yamaha YZF R1 in impressive style during the first part of the season.

As Suzuki's early-season domination began to fade, more competitive racing action appeared at the front of the pack, with Ducati showing a return to form at Silverstone for rounds nine and ten.

The complete article here at Crash.net