British star Toseland, 26, kept his head when race leader Troy Bayliss crashed out of the lead at high speed on lap six to take his third win of the year on his Ten Kate Honda, beating Motor Italia Yamaha rider Troy Corser by 1.368 seconds.

Toseland, who had not ridden at Donington since 2001, said: "To come back here after six years and win is great, but I have to say a massive thank you to the team.

"We didn't get a perfect setting before the race, but we made it count a job. A great crowd turned up here and I hope they enjoy this win as much as I do. I've got to calm down now for race two."

It was pole-sitter Bayliss who led away from the start with PSG-1 Kawasaki rider Regis Laconi sprinting up to second ahead of Toseland.

But the 2004 world champion was in no mood to sit back and powered past his former team-mate to take second at Coppice on lap one.

It was to prove a good corner for Toseland, who rounded the turn five laps later to see Bayliss high-siding off his Ducati, into the gravel trap and out of the race. It let him into a lead he would never lose.

Corser, who started eighth following his qualifying crash, looked even more demonic as he charged up to fifth with a sensational late move on Lorenzo Lanzi's Ducati, and then made further passes to get up to second.

He was not the only one to make progress, as Max Biaggi and Noriyuki Haga, who completed the first lap in eighth and ninth, carefully picked off their rivals one by one to move up to an eventual third and fourth spots.

Third dropped Biaggi to 25 points behind Toseland at the top of the championship table, while fourth place was the result of Haga's first race this season in which he has not suffered a chronic tyre drop-off.

Fifth should have gone to Spaniard Ruben Xaus, but &lsquoSpiderman' crashed out on the penultimate lap on his Sterilgada Ducati, allowing Lanzi into the place with the Kawasakis of Fonsi Nieto and Laconi next up.

Roberto Rolfo was ninth for Ten Kate Honda while Czech rider Jakub Smrz took the best finish of his career in tenth on his two-year-old Caracchi Ducati.

All three British riders finished with Dean Ellison scoring the final point in 15th for Pedercini Ducati and wildcard rider Aaron Zanotti finishing 18th on his championship debut for SMT Yamaha.