Eugene Laverty twice stood in the centre of the podium at Monza.

World Superbike rookie Eugene Laverty admits he can’t believe that he scored a well earned double victory on his team’s home track in Monza on Sunday.

Laverty’s success signified not only Laverty’s maiden win but also his first podium finish to date in the 2011 World Superbike Championship for Yamaha.

“I can’t believe I got a double victory today,” he said. “I came here aiming for a podium and now I’m coming away with two incredible race wins. It’s fantastic. I didn’t get off to a good start in the second race.

“I had to avoid a collision on the first corner, causing me to lose time. I also struggled a little with the tyres in the hot conditions. When it came to the last few laps, I couldn’t believe my luck that it was just me and Marco [Melandri] in the lead.

“This double victory was particularly special to me, being the team’s home track.”

Laverty got off to a perfect start from second position on the grid to immediately take the lead in race one. The World Superbike rookie temporarily surrendered the lead in lap six on entering the Prima Variante but hastened to repossess first place on exiting the Biassono Curve, leaving Max Biaggi second.

Race two saw a masterful display of race craft. Laverty initially fell back to ninth position after encountering a three rider collision in the early stages of the first lap.

Putting his head down, he got straight to work, making his way through the bunch of riders ahead to sit behind teammate Melandri until the final lap where he snatched the chequered flag.