EASINGWOLD sidecar ace Steve Webster needs just one point from the final race of the series to clinch the 2003 World Championship after finishing second in Italy.

Going into Saturday's race at Imola, former champion Webster and his passenger Paul Woodhead needed to win to take the 2003 title with a race in hand. But with Jorg Steinhausen taking the victory, and Klaus Klaffenbock finishing third, Webster now carries forward a 24-point advantage.

Klaffenbock still stands a chance mathematically of lifting the crown. If Webster doesn't finish, and Klaffenbock wins the final round, the Austrian will lift the title by a single point.

Although Webster, on pole in Italy for the 26th consecutive race, lost the lead on the first lap, he looked to have things in control, sitting on Steinhausen's back wheel until back-markers allowed the German driver the chance to break.

For a while mid-race it had seemed as though Webster might be able to pressurise the German into making a mistake, but Steinhausen and his Scarborough-based passenger Trevor Hopkinson rode a mature ride to hold on to the lead.

Coming on to back-markers at the chicane on lap ten, Steinhausen used the traffic to his advantage to quickly open up a three-second gap on Webster.

"We were comfortable in second just behind Jorg and waiting for the opportunity to try to get past," said Webster.

"Then coming up to the chicane the back-markers got in the way - Jorg got past, but we got baulked, and really that was it. Jorg got away and though we tried hard for a couple of laps to catch him, I realised it would be better to go for a safe second place and 20 points.

"It would have been nice to win the championship yesterday, but we at least get another bite at the cherry."

Webster now needs to finish 15th at Magny Cours in three weeks' time.

Paying tribute to the winning pair after the race, Webster added: "Well done to Jorg and Trevor, they rode a great race and clearly deserved the victory. They were very fast and they made it hard work for us.

"Of course I'd have preferred if it were us on the top step but I'm happy enough with the result and at least we extended the gap on Klaffy."

Passenger Woodhead added: "We had no chance of catching Jorg and Trevor after they got away. But the championship is not decided and we're not taking anything for granted."

In a distant third place, Klaffenbock and Christian Parzer completed the podium positions and the Austrian pairing go into the final race knowing that they must win to stand any chance of spoiling the Webster-Woodhead party.

Klaffenbock said: "We have a slim chance but we have to sort out the problems we have had in the last two races. Anyway, we will try hard."

Updated: 11:35 Monday, September 29, 2003