Melandri and Checa dominate WSBK

European heavyweights Marco Melandri and Carlos Checa have dominated round two of the 2011 world Superbike title at Donington Park overnight, but the news wasn’t so flash for Aussie hope Troy Corser.

The Wollongong rider continues to struggle with grip issues on his factory BMW, with the two-time Donington winner only claiming ninth and 13th places in the two 23-lappers.

Corser’s fellow Australian, Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki), didn’t race after his injured knee became too sore after practice and qualifying on Friday. He’s now eyeing a full-time return at Assen on April 17.

Checa continues to eke out a very comfortable 2011 existence on his Ducati after finishing third and first, extending his championship lead to 19pts over Marco Melandri (Yamaha).

Melandri, a new face in WSBK after a long career in MotoGP, actually won the day with a 1-2 scorecard, his maiden win coming after chasing down long-time leader Jakub Smrz (Ducati) in the final laps and winning by 2.455 seconds.

Melandri was brilliant, having to pick his way through the field on the factory Yamaha before finally moving into second place on lap 17 and setting out after Smrz.

Checa took a bit longer to hit top gear in race one, and he was still in eighth place with seven laps to go. He then rallied magnificently, eventually passing local hero Leon Haslam (BMW) with two corners to go to finish third.

“I have to say it was one of the most exciting races of my career, so many riders touching, crashing, everything!” said Checa. “After the first laps I was able to build up a good rhythm and start moving up through the pack one rider at a time.

“It wasn’t easy, but I pushed hard and then two laps from the end I realised I could maybe get past Haslam too for third. I’m really happy because I didn’t think I’d get from 11th on lap one to the podium.

“We made the decision to use the hard tyre solution for the race and, even though we paid for it at the start, it turned out to be the right decision in the end.

“It was great to win at Phillip Island, but today meant even more to me. A lot of people may remember what happened to me here many years ago (he suffered near fatal injuries in a 1998 500 GP crash). That day I lost something, but today I can say that I found it again.”

Haslam had been in the top three all race, but he still finished a respectable fourth ahead of Jonathan Rea (Honda) and Noriyuki Haga (Aprilia).

Corser was as high as seventh in the early laps before slipping back through the pack, and his traction woes then continued in race two.

“We have improved the bike in some areas since Phillip Island, which is good, but we are still encountering some issues that we need to address,” said Corser.

“We are struggling with too much spin from the rear tyre, and it’s making it hard to set consistent times. The bike felt more settled and easier to ride with the changes we have made, but we are still having issues.

“We have a test coming up so hopefully we can make some good progress there and be ready for Assen.”

In race two, Checa controlled proceedings from the get-go with a softer rear tyre, setting a new lap record of 1min28.988secs en route to a 3.397-second victory over Melandri, followed by British pair Leon Camier (Aprilia) and Haslam.

Rookie Joan Lascorz gave Kawasaki something to cheer about in fifth, while Rea was sixth.

Smrz couldn’t back up on his epic race one effort and was eighth.

In race two, world champion Max Biaggi (Aprilia) was disqualified for not obeying a ride through penalty after a jump start, and he’s now slipped to fourth in the standings on 49pts, behind Haslam (53).

Corser is in 13th position on 16pts.

Meanwhile, Newcastle rider Mark Aitchison was 15th and 16th in the WSBK races on his Kawasaki.
In world Supersport, Yamaha team-mates riders Luca Scassa and Chaz Davies fought all the way in the 22-lapper, with Davies 0.270 seconds down at the flag.

Gino Rea (Honda) took the final podium place, ahead of Robbin Harms (Honda) and Australia’s Broc Parkes (Kawasaki)
In the championship, Scassa has a perfect 50pts ahead of Parkes on 31.

DONINGTON WSBK RESULTS
Race one: 23 laps
1 Marco Melandri, Italy, Yamaha
2 Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic, Ducati +2.455
3 Carlos Checa, Spain, Ducati +5.839
4 Leon Haslam, Great Britain, BMW +6.176
5 Jonathan Rea, Great Britain, Honda +9.039
6 Noriyuki Haga, Japan, Aprilia +9.215
7 Max Biaggi, Italy, Aprilia +9.960
8 Leon Camier, Great Britain, Aprilia +14.860
9 Troy Corser, Australia, BMW +14.877
10 Joan Lascorz, Spain, Kawasaki +16.182
15 Mark Aitchison, Australia, Kawasaki +1:00.128

Fastest lap and new record: Haga – 1:29.137

Race two: 23 laps
1 Checa
2 Melandri +3.3973 Camier +5.902
4 Haslam +13.842
5 Lascorz +14.253
6 Rea +19.413
7 Michel Fabrizio, Italy, Suzuki +20.278
8 Smrz +21.160
9 Ayrton Badovini, Italy, BMW +24.298
10 Ruben Xaus, Spain, Honda +24.907
13 Corser +34.070
16 Aitchison +52.412

Fastest lap and new record: Checa – 1:28.988

WORLD SUPERBIKE STANDINGS (AFTER ROUND 2 OF 13):
1 Checa 91
2 Melandri 72
3 Haslam 53
4 Biaggi 49
5 Smrz 42
6 Rea 38
7 Camier 37
8 Fabrizio 27
9 Haga 26
10 Tom Sykes, Great Britain, Kawasaki 19
13 Corser 16
20 Aitchison 1

Next round: Assen, Netherlands, April 15-17