Ducati Parts | Independant Ducati Specialist | Louigi Moto Limited

Reigning British Ducati DesmoDue champion Dominic Cann, from Somerset, kicked off his 2007 title defence at Brands Hatch on Sunday with two third-place finishes.It was the first time since October that all 60 competitors were in attendance, making for a tense atmosphere.

The 30-year-old web designer qualified his Keynsham-based Louigi Moto/OD2 Racing Ducati in second place, 0.27secs behind his 2006 teammate Kyle Hinton.

2005 champion Geoff Spencer was third, with fellow Lincolnshire rider Tim Pritchard on the Ultimate Finish Ducati completing the front row.

The first of two ten-lap races quickly turned into a four-way battle between the front row from qualifying.

Hinton led the first four laps, with Pritchard, Spencer and Cann swapping positions and paintwork in a bid to head the pack.

Eventually, Spencer got to the front while Pritchard fell out of second place on lap eight, directly in front of Cann who had to take avoiding action so as not to run over the stricken rider.

Things went from bad to worse as a back marker repeated the exact same accident a lap later.

Cann was forced to settle for second place, only to be passed by Hinton right on the finish line. Spencer took the race win by 3.6 seconds over Hinton, who was 0.03 seconds ahead of Cann.

"I couldn't believe that the only two riders to crash out of the race, did so right in front of me. I was lucky not to run over Tim and then Kyle grabbed second place from me right on the line," said Cann.

Race two was a similar affair until around half distance when Pritchard dropped off the back of the group.

Cann struggled to keep up with Hinton and Spencer, who were on lap record pace for the remainder of the race, eventually pulling out an eight-second advantage over the Somerset ace.

Hinton went on to take his first Ducati DesmoDue victory and is now joint series leader with second-placed finisher Spencer on 65 points, with Cann in third overall on 52 points.

"I feel a bit weird really as I've come away with some solid points, but I'm disappointed at being beaten," added Cann.

Tom Grzelinski, from Bath, riding the Louigi Moto development machine, charged through the pack to take 16th and 15th places from 26th on the grid following a huge crash on Friday.

The next round will be held at Mallory Park on May 20.