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Chaz Davies has claimed his first professional title by winning the World Supersport Championship at Magny Cours.

Luca Scassa won the penultimate race of the 2011 season but Davies' sixth placed finish in France was enough to secure the overall championship crown.

Davies becomes the first Welshman to win a world Superbike class title.

"What a day! Still hasn't sunk in yet," Yamaha rider .

The World Supersport Championship is the competition below the main World Superbikes Championship.

Davies has won five races this season at Assen, Monza, Aragon, Silverstone and the Nurburgring.

The 24-year-old is on 181 Championship points and heads into the final race at Portimao in Portugal with an unassailable 37-point lead over French Honda rider Fabien Foret.

Davies almost won the title the previous week at Imola but the Knighton-born rider's engine failed as he led in Italy.

He becomes the second British rider to win the World Supersport title, since its inception in 1997, following Cal Crutchlow's win 2009.

Now the Welsh rider could be set for a promotion to the World Superbikes Championship and he revealed in July: "For me next year the goal is Superbikes - and a very competitive Superbike."