Australia's Troy Bayliss clinched his third World Superbike Championship crown with a podium finish in the first of two races in the French round at Magny-Cours today.

Baylis, 39, established an unassailable championship points lead when he rode a conservative race to finish third on his Ducati behind Yamaha's race winner Nori Haga who is second in the series.

The 14-round series finishes in Portugal on November 2.

Bayliss, from Taree in NSW, won his previous champiopnships in in 2001 and 2006, also for Ducati.

He also competed for the Italian maker in MotoGP.

AAP