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World Superbike
WSBK: Checa Checks Out
Defending Superbike World Champion Carlos Checa raced to his fifth MMP victory in the opening leg of Monday's WSBK doubleheader.
(Photo: Evan Williams)
It took about a third of the race to shake loose of the considerably more fleet fours, but once Carlos Checa got some clear track in front of him he was utterly unstoppable in World Superbike Race 1 at Miller Motorsports Park.
The victory is Checa's fifth at MMP as he further underlined his superiority in Utah and leaves his rivals with a big job to figure out a way to contain him this afternoon.
They did their best early in the opening contest. Trapped behind the faster fours in the twistier sections and gobbled up on the straights, Checa was corralled inside a mobile gate consisting of the quick-starting Tom Sykes on the works Kawasaki, BMW Motorrad Motorsports' Marco Melandri, Honda World Superbike's Jonathan Rea, and Aprilia Racing's Max Biaggi.
While Melandri, Biaggi, and Aprilia teammate Eugene Laverty all his 198mph, Checa could only manage 186mph even with the benefit of the draft. But his advantage was so great elsewhere that the reigning Superbike World Champion immediately broke open a gap aboard his Althea Racing Ducati once he made his decisive maneuver into the lead, working past Melandri on lap 8.
Melandri did well just to keep Checa honest, actually closing to within a second with three laps remaining, but the Spaniard would not be defeated, laying down his fastest lap of the race and reestablishing his lead to ultimately claim a 2.313-second margin of victory.
Checa said, “I had a great time and I always enjoy coming to America, spending time around here, and I always feel really well at this track. It is a fantastic moment for me to win again, get on the podium, to take a victory, so some great feelings come back. It is a really special day for all the Americans here as it is Memorial Day so I want to dedicate this victory to you.”
“I was struggling a lot last year so to get such a good race was amazing for me," Melandri said. "I tried to make life not easy for Carlos but when I came back in the end, I tried to come back to him a few times but I made a mistake. So, for the last lap I chose not to try too much because it was easy to make another mistake. Second place was good for me after such a tough qualifying.”
Meanwhile, Biaggi and Rea fought a spirited battle for the final spot on the podium, a scrap that ultimately went to Biaggi. The Italian took the checkered flag less than two tenths of a second ahead of Rea, albeit more than five back of the race win.
“It is good to be on the podium and I appreciate the third position," Biaggi remarked. "I had a long fight with Rea and his Honda and we got good points for the championship. In the end I could not go faster than that. On the first lap with so many riders there was a battle and I am happy now because we had a good race and finally we got some California-style weather.”
Biaggi's teammate, Laverty, came home in fifth one second ahead of Superpole winner Jakub Smrz. One-time Daytona 200 winner Chaz Davies finished seventh, edging ahead of a fading Sykes, while BMW Motorrad Italia's Michel Fabrizio and Melandri's teammate, Leon Haslam, completed the top ten.
Race 2 will take place starting at 3:30 local time.
WSBK Results -- MMP Race 1
1. Carlos Checa (Duc)
2. Marco Melandri (BMW) +2.313
3. Max Biaggi (Aprilia)
4. Jonathan Rea (Hon)
5. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia)
6. Jakub Smrz (Duc)
7. Chaz Davies (Aprilia)
8. Tom Sykes (Kaw)
9. Michel Fabrizio (BMW)
10. Leon Haslam (BMW)
SPEED.com Motorcycle Racing Editor Chris Martin saw Eddie Lawson win aboard a Kawasaki the first time he attended an AMA Superbike race and witnessed Ben Bostrom win a World Superbike race aboard a V&H Ducati the first time he worked one. He has written about AMA SBK, WSBK, and MotoGP for SPEED.com since 2003. Chris is now on Twitter.
The victory is Checa's fifth at MMP as he further underlined his superiority in Utah and leaves his rivals with a big job to figure out a way to contain him this afternoon.
They did their best early in the opening contest. Trapped behind the faster fours in the twistier sections and gobbled up on the straights, Checa was corralled inside a mobile gate consisting of the quick-starting Tom Sykes on the works Kawasaki, BMW Motorrad Motorsports' Marco Melandri, Honda World Superbike's Jonathan Rea, and Aprilia Racing's Max Biaggi.
While Melandri, Biaggi, and Aprilia teammate Eugene Laverty all his 198mph, Checa could only manage 186mph even with the benefit of the draft. But his advantage was so great elsewhere that the reigning Superbike World Champion immediately broke open a gap aboard his Althea Racing Ducati once he made his decisive maneuver into the lead, working past Melandri on lap 8.
Melandri did well just to keep Checa honest, actually closing to within a second with three laps remaining, but the Spaniard would not be defeated, laying down his fastest lap of the race and reestablishing his lead to ultimately claim a 2.313-second margin of victory.
Checa said, “I had a great time and I always enjoy coming to America, spending time around here, and I always feel really well at this track. It is a fantastic moment for me to win again, get on the podium, to take a victory, so some great feelings come back. It is a really special day for all the Americans here as it is Memorial Day so I want to dedicate this victory to you.”
“I was struggling a lot last year so to get such a good race was amazing for me," Melandri said. "I tried to make life not easy for Carlos but when I came back in the end, I tried to come back to him a few times but I made a mistake. So, for the last lap I chose not to try too much because it was easy to make another mistake. Second place was good for me after such a tough qualifying.”
Meanwhile, Biaggi and Rea fought a spirited battle for the final spot on the podium, a scrap that ultimately went to Biaggi. The Italian took the checkered flag less than two tenths of a second ahead of Rea, albeit more than five back of the race win.
“It is good to be on the podium and I appreciate the third position," Biaggi remarked. "I had a long fight with Rea and his Honda and we got good points for the championship. In the end I could not go faster than that. On the first lap with so many riders there was a battle and I am happy now because we had a good race and finally we got some California-style weather.”
Biaggi's teammate, Laverty, came home in fifth one second ahead of Superpole winner Jakub Smrz. One-time Daytona 200 winner Chaz Davies finished seventh, edging ahead of a fading Sykes, while BMW Motorrad Italia's Michel Fabrizio and Melandri's teammate, Leon Haslam, completed the top ten.
Race 2 will take place starting at 3:30 local time.
WSBK Results -- MMP Race 1
1. Carlos Checa (Duc)
2. Marco Melandri (BMW) +2.313
3. Max Biaggi (Aprilia)
4. Jonathan Rea (Hon)
5. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia)
6. Jakub Smrz (Duc)
7. Chaz Davies (Aprilia)
8. Tom Sykes (Kaw)
9. Michel Fabrizio (BMW)
10. Leon Haslam (BMW)
SPEED.com Motorcycle Racing Editor Chris Martin saw Eddie Lawson win aboard a Kawasaki the first time he attended an AMA Superbike race and witnessed Ben Bostrom win a World Superbike race aboard a V&H Ducati the first time he worked one. He has written about AMA SBK, WSBK, and MotoGP for SPEED.com since 2003. Chris is now on Twitter.
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