VICTORY in Italy on Saturday will give Easingwold sidecar ace Steve Webster a record ninth world title.

After their magnificent double header win at Assen two weeks ago, Team Castrol Suzuki pair 43-year-old Webster and passenger Paul Woodhead have built up a 20-point lead over nearest rivals Klaus Klaffenbock and Christian Parzer in the championship table.

Webster needs only to finish five points in front of Klaffenbock to lift the crown that has eluded him since the 2000 season.

A race win would do it, and in Webster's current form - six wins from eight races - who would bet against him?

Webster said: "We're always going out to win in every race we enter, but we really need to do it this weekend to make the championship safe.

"I'd like to think a thought-out race plan could work out - but you never know what is going to happen until it all gets started. Basically we need to get clear as early as possible, and try to make a gap and stay out of trouble."

He added: "Imola is a track that suits us. It has got some fast sections where you have to be smooth and enough fast straights to make slipstreaming possible. It's going to be a very tough race."

It'll be Webster's fourth visit to the 4.933-kilometre track. He first went there in 1983 in only his third World Championship race, but didn't finish after qualifying 16th. The track wasn't used for sidecars again until 2001, when Webster and Woodhead took a win, setting the lap record.

Last year, Webster took the lead from Klaffenbock but the race was red-flagged. And as Klaffenbock had been leading the previous lap, he was awarded the win.

A defiant Klaffenbock, the 2001 champion, said: "We have gone better than Webster there before, but with 20 points to make up, it is going to be difficult. Imola may be our last chance."

Jorg Steinhausen and Trevor Hopkinson lie third overall in the points with reigning champions Steve Abbott and Jamie Biggs a further 20 points adrift in fourth.

Updated: 10:20 Friday, September 26, 2003