WSBK: Checa the Champion after Double at Magny-Cours

By Cycle CanadaPosted on

 

Carlos Checa needed only three more points over the final two rounds of the season to win his first ever World Superbike Championship and the Althea Ducati rider completed the task assuredly today at Magny-Cours by winning both races of the penultimate round, his 13th and 14th victories of the season. As well as being Checa’s first world title, it is the first time a Spaniard has won the World Superbike Championship. For Ducati, it is their 14th WSBK riders’ title, their first since Troy Bayliss won in 2008.

Yamaha’s Marco Melandri, Checa’s only rival (mathematically) going into the weekend, placed second in both races, further solidifying the championship runner-up position in his first WSBK season. Earlier today it was announced that Melandri will be riding for the BMW Motorrad WSBK team beside Leon Haslam in 2012. Yamaha, had announced previously that it was withdrawing from WSBK, making the former MotoGP rider a free agent. Melandri’s future team-mate Haslam had a strong day for his German squad, placing third and fourth in races one and two respectively, while Melandri’s current Yamaha team-mate Eugene Laverty rounded out the podium in race two. 

Jonathan Rae, who qualified on pole after gaining his second victory of the season last weekend at Imola, had a hard day. The Castrol Honda rider did not complete either race at Magny-Cours, crashing out of race one on lap three, after trying to make up for a poor start off the line, and retiring from the second contest (as at Imola) because of mechanical issues. 

Checa enters the final round at Portimao on October 16 with 467 points while Melandri has 360. Laverty, now with a total of 283 points, moved into third overall today, ahead of 2010 champion Max Biaggi, who missed his third consecutive round due to a slow-healing fractured foot.

2011 Magny-Cours World Superbike Race 1 Results

1 Carlos Checa Althea Racing Ducati

2 Marco Melandri Yamaha WSBK Team +2.201

3 Leon Haslam BMW Motorrad +3.218

4 Leon Camier Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team +3.796

5 Eugene Laverty Yamaha WSBK Team +5.602

6 Sylvain Guintoli Team Effenbert-Liberty Ducati +9.634

7 Noriyuki Haga PATA Racing Team Aprilia +9.814

8 Joan Lascorz Paul Bird Racing Kawasaki +11.387

9 Troy Corser BMW Motorrad +17.143

10 Tom Sykes Paul Bird Racing Kawasaki +24.523

11 Javier Fores BMW Motorrad Italia +34.532

12 Michel Fabrizio Team Suzuki Alstare +1:19.724

13 Roberto Rolfo Team Pedericini Kawaski 1 Lap

Not Classified

Maxime Berger Supersonic Racing Ducati 13 Laps

Jonathan Rea Castrol Honda 19 Laps

Ayrton Badovini BMW Motorrad Italia 19 Laps

Jakub Smrz Team Effenbert-Liberty Ducati 21 Laps

Mark Aitchison Team Pedericini Kawaski

 

2011 Magny-Cours World Superbike Race 2 Results

1 Carlos Checa Althea Racing Ducati

2 Marco Melandri Yamaha WSBK Team +1.267

3 Eugene Laverty Yamaha WSBK Team +2.043

4 Leon Haslam BMW Motorrad +6.506

5 Sylvain Guintoli Team Effenbert-Liberty Ducati +7.843

6 Leon Camier Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team +8.360

7 Joan Lascorz Paul Bird Racing Kawasaki +15.285

8 Aytron Badovini BMW Motorrad Italia +15.549

9 Troy Corser BMW Motorrad +16.278

10 Noriyuki Haga PATA Racing Team Aprilia +22.996

11 Javier Fores BMW Motorrad Italia +43.132

12 Maxime Berger Supersonic Racing Ducati +47.846

Not Classified

Roberto Rolfo Team Pedericini Kawaski 4 Laps

Jonathan Rea Castrol Honda 10 Laps

Mark Aitchison Team Pedericini Kawaski 19 Laps

Michel Fabrizio Team Suzuki Alstare 21 Laps

Tom Sykes Paul Bird Racing Kawasaki

 

2011 World Superbike Championship

1 Carlos Checa Ducati 467

2 Marco Melandri Yamaha 360

3 Eugene Laverty Yamaha 283

4 Max Biaggi Aprilia 281

5 Leon Haslam BMW 216

6 Leon Camier Aprilia 194

7 Sylvain Guintoli Ducati 179

8 Noriyuki Haga Aprilia 170

9 Ayrton Badovini BMW 155

10 Michel Fabrizio Suzuki 145

11 Joan Lascorz Kawasaki 142

12 Jonathan Rea Honda 138

13 Tom Sykes Kawasaki 133

14 Jakub Smrz Ducati 118

15 Troy Corser BMW 85

16 Ruben Xaus Honda 49

17 Maxime Berger Ducati 49

18 Roberto Rolfo Kawasaki 42

19 Mark Aitchison Kawasaki 36

20 John Hopkins Suzuki 20

21 Chris Vermeulen Kawasaki 14

22 James Toseland BMW 13

23 Javier Fores BMW 12

24 Lorenzo Lanzi BMW 10

25 Joshua Waters Suzuki 8

26 Federico Sandi Ducati 7

27 Alessandro Polita Ducati 5

28 Matteo Baiocco Ducati 4

29 Barry Veneman BMW 3

30 Jon Kirkham Suzuki 3

31 Viktor Kispataki Honda 1

32 Alexander Lowes Honda 1

33 Fabrizio Lai Honda 1

34 Bryan Staring Kawasaki 1

 

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