Checa claims WSBK title

Spain’s Carlos Checa has stuck to his word, producing an authoritative performance to wrap up the 2011 world Superbike title at Magny-Cours overnight.

Even though title success was virtually assured in advance, Checa had vowed that he wasn’t going to break stride in France, and that’s what transpired when he romped to his fifth clean sweep of the season.

Checa is now the first Spaniard to win the WSBK title, while it was the 14th solo victory for Ducati.

“Today has been a perfect day, the best day of my career and probably the best day of my life,” said Checa, who now holds an unassailable 107pt lead over Italian Marco Melandri. “I thank everyone, every person that has helped me throughout my career, from the beginning up until today, for helping me reach this point.

“I especially want to thank Genesio Bevilacqua (the boss of Althea Racing), my entire team and Ducati of course. I am experiencing so many emotions and must admit that it was very difficult to keep my concentration in the final stages of race one.

“Then, in race two, I tried to race as fast as I could, doing what I like to do best, and was able to win once more. Now we can relax and relish in this unforgettable moment.”

Meanwhile, the other headline-grabbing news at Magny-Cours was the announcement that Melandri had signed as the second factory rider at BMW for 2012, replacing Australia’s two-time world champion Troy Corser.

Melandri, a former 250cc world champion and MotoGP winner, has been looking for another seat ever since Yamaha announced it was closing its factory operation at the end of this season.

Corser, 39, has been with BMW since the start of its WSBK campaign, but according to the company’s Motorsport Director Bernhard Gobmeier “a joint decision was made with Troy that it is time to take the next step”.

“Troy has made a vital contribution to establishing and further developing the team and the RR over the past three years. We would like to thank him for this. We came to a joint decision with Troy that it is time to take the next step,” said Gobmeier. “We are working on ensuring that Troy maintains his links with BMW Motorrad.  Troy is inseparably associated with the development of the first BMW Motorrad superbike, and we want to take this into account.”

There has been no official word from the Corser camp on his future plans, but despite the obvious distraction, Corser produced his most industrious performance in ages, finishing ninth in both 23-lap races. But he was still a little disappointed.

Despite the obvious distraction, Corser produced his most industrious performance in ages, finishing ninth in both 23-lap races. But he was still a little disappointed.

“We have been strong and consistent all weekend, and in all honesty I was hoping for better results,” said Corser. “I have been happy with the bike throughout practice and the setup seemed good for the races, but we really struggled for grip in the latter stages of both races.

“Two top 10 finishes on paper is not so bad, but with the pace we have shown we all expected a little bit more. Still we have some good information to work with going into Portimao in two weeks’ time.”

Australia’s other rider, Mark Aitchison (Kawasaki), failed to finish either race.

The Yamaha-backed Melandri – for only one more round – was courageous on his first visit to Magny-Cours, and fittingly finished second behind Checa in both races, with Leon Haslam (BMW) and Eugene Laverty (Yamaha) sharing the third places.

Sam Lowes (Honda) was second, with Australia’s long-time leader Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) just holding off his rapidly advancing team-mate David Salom for third.

Fabien Foret (Honda) was only eighth at Magny-Cours but remains second in the championship on 144pts. Parkes is third in the points, on 136, tied with Salom.

Fastest lap: Checa – 1:38.643

Race two: 23 laps
1 Checa
2 Melandri +1.267
3 Laverty +2.043
4 Haslam +6.506
5 Guintoli +7.743
6 Camier +8.360
7 Lascorz +15.285
8 Ayrton Badovini, Italy, BMW +15.549
9 Corser +16.278
10 Haga +22.996
DNF Aitchison +19 laps

Fastest lap: Checa – 1:39.136

WORLD SUPERBIKE STANDINGS (AFTER ROUND 12 OF 13):
1 Checa (world champion) 467
2 Melandri 360
3 Laverty 283
4 Max Biaggi, Italy, Aprilia 281
5 Haslam 216
6 Camier 194
7 Guintoli 179
8 Haga 170
9 Badovini 155
10 Michel Fabrizio, Italy, Suzuki 145
15 Corser 85
19 Aitchison 36
21 Chris Vermeulen, Australia, Kawasaki 14

Final round: Portimao, Portugal, October 14-16