Checa on fire at Silverstone

Spain’s Carlos Checa roared back into winning form at the Silverstone round of the 2011 world Superbike title on July 31, extending his lead out to a commanding 62pts with just four rounds remaining.

It was a day of milestones at the classic British circuit, with Checa bringing up Ducati’s 300th WSBK victory in race one – an imposing average of well over 12 race wins per year since 1988 -- as well as recording 100 races himself in the production-based championship.

In both 18-lap races, Checa was joined by Yamaha teammates Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri on the podium, while the highlight for Australia was Troy Corser’s ninth on his factory BMW in race one.

“It was a wonderful day. I didn’t believe that it would be possible to win here, but we managed to do it twice over,” said Checa. “We have a good advantage for now, but as we all know it’s hard to build up points and easy to lose them.

“We now head to tracks where I have had some good results in the past but we are taking it one step at a time; nothing is a given. It’s been a fantastic weekend that I will remember forever. Now the team can go on holiday in a more relaxed state of mind.”

Both contests were played out in similar circumstances, with Laverty the early pacesetter before Checa made his way past on lap seven, never to be headed again. Checa now has 10 wins to his credit in 2011.

While Laverty was well at home in second, Melandri’s two third places didn’t come so easily.

In race one, Aprilia’s Leon Camier was heading for the final spot on the dais before bike problems in the last two laps saw him freefall down the field, and in race two Melandri had to withstand a last lap challenge form fellow Italian and world champion Max Biaggi (Aprilia).

But Melandri kept his guard, and he’s now only 9pts behind Biaggi (272 to 281) in the battle for second place in the championship, with Checa the runaway leader on 343.

Corser’s return to action at Silverstone from a broken arm brought more frustration, toughing it out in race one before retiring from the second with technical problems.

“In race one I got a great start. I fought hard and managed to get to the front of the group and I felt well on the bike,” said Corser. “The grip level dropped off as the race progressed, and it caused me to slide and spin the rear tyre. I just managed the situation the best I could and brought it home.

“In race two we had an issue with the bike which we are currently looking into. We are not sure exactly why the issue occurred at the minute but it does seem bizarre at this stage because we only made minor changes between races.

“I have a couple of days off before going back to serious training. I still do not feel 100 percent fit on the bike after my injury.”

After a solid qualifying performance, New South Welshman Mark Aitchison (Kawasaki) was on track for a top 10 finish in race one before he crashed, and he was 14th in race two.

And Gold Coast rider Karl Muggeridge, who was to have deputised for the injured Ruben Xaus at Silverstone, was then himself a last scratching after spraining his wrist in a mountain bike crash in Italy.

With Muggeridge absent, British Superbike campaigner John Hopkins (Suzuki) was the star of the cameo show, with the American snaring a stunning pole position before finishing with 5-7 finishes.

In world Supersport, Newcastle's Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) has now slumped to fourth in the standings after finishing sixth at Silverstone, with championship leader Chaz Davies (Yamaha) a popular home town winner after a race-long challenge from David Salom (Kawasaki).

Fabien Foret (Honda) finished third, 2.449 seconds from Davies.

Davies is on 141pts from Salom (104), Foret (101) and Parkes (95).

SILVERSTONE WSBK RESULTS
Race one: 18 laps
1 Carlos Checa, Spain, Ducati
2 Eugene Laverty, Great Britain, Yamaha +3.304
3 Marco Melandri, Italy, Yamaha +4.782
4 Leon Haslam, Great Britain, BMW +7.116
5 John Hopkins, American, Suzuki +11.057
6 Sylvain Guintoli, France, Ducati +21.889
7 Joan Lascorz, Spain, Kawasaki +22.308
8 Maxime Berger, France, Ducati +22.734
9 Troy Corser, Australia, BMW +25.491
10 Ayrton Badovini, Italy, BMW +25.725
DNF Mark Aitchison, Australia, Kawasaki +7 laps

Fastest lap: Checa – 2:06.045

Race two: 18 laps
1 Checa
2 Laverty +2.274
3 Melandri +3.675
4 Max Biaggi, Italy, Aprilia +3.960
5 Camier +4.405
6 Guintoli +10.958
7 Hopkins +11.387
8 Haslam +11.496
9 Michel Fabrizio, Italy, Suzuki +12.247
10 Badovini +19.705
14 Mark Aitchison, Australia, Kawasaki +30.702
DNF Corser +6 laps

Fastest lap: Biaggi – 2:05.525

WORLD SUPERBIKE STANDINGS (AFTER ROUND 9 OF 13):
1 Checa 343
2 Biaggi 281
3 Melandri 272
4 Laverty 208
5 Haslam 158
6 Camier 146
7 Fabrizio 141
8 Badovini 118
9 Guintoli 109
10 Noriyuki Haga, Japan, Aprilia 99
15 Corser 62
20 Aitchison 20
21 Chris Vermeulen, Australia, Kawasaki 14

Next round: Nurburgring, Germany, September 2-4