CHEEKY CHECA GRABS SURPRISE WIN IN OZ!

37 year old Carlos Checa was a surprise winner of Race 2 in the World Superbikes in Phillip Island! After starting 4th on the grid and a 7th place in race 1, Checa produced a masterful ride to take the 25 points on offer in a blustery, eventful race in Australia.

On the final lap, Checa made a brave pass on Haslam to secure his 3rd WSBK win. This surely was his best performance yet. After moving to the newly formed Althea Ducati squad and racing what effectively is a 2008 British Superbike bike, he clawed his way into contention with the leaders and made it a thrilling ending to the race.

Checa, after a steady start to the race seemed to come alive with 11 laps of the race left when he bridged a substantial gap to the top 4 of the two Suzuki’s of Haslam and Guintoli and the Ducati riders of Fabrizio and Haga. With nine laps left, Checa dispatched of Haga to join the fight for the rostrum. The likeable Spaniard then made it into 2nd place when he passed Guintoli with three laps to go. It seemed unlikely that Checa could take on the challenge of beating race 1 winner Haslam with little time left in the race, but he left his best until last and must have taken Haslam by surprise when he went underneath him at MG and took the lead with half a lap left.

Checa said after his impressive win, “At the time I caught the top group, that was my target. When I saw the others were struggling with their tyres and traction, I took the opportunity to pass them, I think where I did the pass, it was the perfect place, it was my best race as I came from the back. It was unbelieveable.”

2010 sees Checa’s third year in this championship. After being the pace setter in testing here in Australia, he has proved he and the bike are clearly no fluke and can be competing at the highest level.

Haslam had a tough fight in this race at the hands of his French team mate Sylvain Guintoli. It appeared to be a straight battle between the two Suzuki and Ducati boys until Spaniard Checa joined the group. Guintoli and Haslam seemed to hinder each other in the fight for victory as they ended up swapping positions frequently, leaving the other stuck on the outside on the dirty line, letting riders behind take advantage of the fierce rivalry between the 2 Alstare Suzukis.

It was close and exciting racing throughout including a long, hard fight which included Crutchlow and Toseland. This time both the Yamaha’s managed to finish but it was Crutchlow, the current World Supersport Champion, who edged out ex Moto GP rider, Toseland on the final lap.

After a long winter of waiting to see what surprises the WSBK circus would bring, Phillip Island once again delivered two very exciting races with two winners that maybe the experts weren’t predicting. There are seven Brits in the championship but Haslam is the one who has produced the goods looking very confident and relaxed on the factory Suzuki. He leads the championship over Fabrizio and Checa.

Next race is back on European soil in Portimao, Portugal, can Haslam continue his rich vein of form and be the Brit to beat or will we see some new contenders?

Result of Race 2:

1. Carlos Checa
2. Leon Haslam
3. Michele Fabrizio
4. Sylvain Guintoli
5. Noriyuki Haga
6. Jonathan Rea
7. Troy Corser
8. Max Biaggi
9. Cal Crutchlow
10. James Toseland

World Championship scores so far (after 2 races).
1. Haslam 45
2. Fabrizio 36
3. Checa 34
4. Haga 27
5. Guintoli 23

Haslam storms to his first pole in World Superbikes in Oz!

Leon Haslam set all the headlines with pole position in the opening round of the World Superbike Championship in Australia. With a time of 1.31.229 around the Phillip Island race track, he edged out the Ducati of Fabrizio and fellow Brit, Crutchlow.

A successful day for the British boys, with four riders in the front two rows of the grid, for tomorrow’s eagerly awaited races.

Toseland on his return to WBSK after two years in the Moto GP, qualified in 8th which was a good effort after an accident on Friday morning which left him with a damaged wrist. It was clearly causing the double WSBK Champion discomfort as he was holding his arm after the session was over.

Jonathan Rea on the Honda qualified in 7th.

Biaggi and Haga were the two noticeable absentees from the front two rows on the grid so will have to work hard from the start tomorrow.

It had been Carlos Checa on the Ducati who had been the pace setter until the Superpole when Haslam was comfortably the quickest man on track in each session. This was the first time he had ridden a full factory bike in the championship and made an impressive display. This was despite a massive crash he had on Saturday morning at 135 mph which left him a “bit battered and bruised”.

A tough two races in store for the World Superbike boys’ finest in the sunshine and heat of Phillip Island and on a seemingly more bumpy track than last year. Will the sun shine on the Brits tomorrow? Lets wait and see!

Leandra Graves
27th February 2009