World Superbike
Spoiler Alert: 2011 Miller World Superbike results listed below.
Although rain threatened Memorial Day Weekend at Miller Motorsports Park, Utah, the World Superbike grid were able to compete on a dry track Monday.
And the conditions were kind to two Italian manafucturers: Ducati and Aprilia. During Race 1, three Ducati superbikes took the podium, and during Race 2, it was a Ducati and two Aprilia superbikes.
Althea Ducati’s Carlos Checa took both Miller Superbike races with ease, the Spaniard also setting the two fastest laps at Miller World Superbike on Monday. In Race 1, Checa was joined on the podium by Effenbert – Liberty Racing Ducati duo Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli, respectively. In Race 2, Checa was joined by Alitalia Aprilia riders Max Biaggi and Leon Camier.
With his double World Superbike win at Miller, Checa now has six race wins in five rounds; he is 61 points ahead of Yamaha’s Marco Melandri with eight rounds (16 races) remaining.
In Race 1 at Miller Motorsports Park, starting from pole position for the fourth time this season, Carlos Checa lost a couple of positions through the first corners, finding himself in fourth at the end of the first lap. Beginning to build up a good rhythm, the Spanish rider was able to pass first Guintoli and then Haga and Corser, to take the lead on the fifth lap.
Althea Ducati says pushing hard so as to build on his advantage, lap seven brought him his fastest lap time of the race. Chca continued to work to manage what remained of the Miller Superbike race, passing the chequered flag in first place with a 2.766 second advantage ahead of Smrz and Guintoli, also on board Ducati 1198 machines.
In the second Miller Superbike race of the day, Althea flagbearer Checa got away like a rocket, with a one second advantage over the rest of the field after just one lap! In the first stages he continued to improve on his times as each lap passed, recording the fastest lap of the race on lap 4 (and thus taking his second Pirelli best lap award of the day).
None of his rivals could touch him Monday at Miller Superbike, and he continued to build on his lead until the very end, crossing the line with an impressive 7.1 second advantage over Camier who closed second. A perfect Miller Superbike weekend for Checa and the Althea Racing team, having secured pole, two fast laps and two race wins.
Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati 1198R) says: “Two amazing wins today, especially after what happened to us here last year. In Race 1 I rode cautiously during the first laps as the conditions were a little mixed but after a while I found good feeling with my bike and was really able to push.
“The bike really behaved well despite the slightly strange conditions. I was able to pass those ahead of me, though it wasn’t easy, and then I tried hard to build an advantage. In the final stages I stayed calm, controlled the margin and I did it! It was really funny because as I was returning to parc ferme’, I saw some fans who wanted to give me a flag so I went “offroad” to get it only to find thick mud which caused me to crash – the happiest crash of my life I would say!
“The feeling that I had with the bike improved for race 2 and I could really enjoy the race. A wonderful day, especially for my team and for Ducati. I want to thank everybody, my team, Ducati and the sponsors. This was not only a double victory but a moral victory.”
2011 Miller Motorsports Park World Superbike: Race 1 Results:
1. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1098R 38mins 46.915secs
2. Jakub Smrz CZE Effenbert Liberty Ducati 1098R +2.766s
3. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Effenbert Liberty Ducati 1098R +4.093s
4. Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +8.885s
5. Eugene Laverty IRL Yamaha WSBK YZF R1 +15.718s
6. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki RTS ZX-10R +20.477s
7. Ayrton Badovini ITA BMW Italia S1000RR +22.170s
8. Leon Haslam GBR BMW Motorrad S1000RR +22.267s
9. Noriyuki Haga JPN PATA Aprilia RSV-4 +24.087s
10. Marco Melandri ITA Yamaha WSBK YZF R1 +27.150s
11. Maxime Berger FRA Supersonic Ducati 1098R +29.422s
12. Josh Waters AUS Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 +33.428s
13. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR +36.573s
14. Joan Lascorz ESP Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R +1min 05.369s
15. James Toseland GBR BMW Italia S1000RR +1min 14.382s
2011 Miller Motorsports Park World Superbike: Race 2 Results:
1. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Ducati 1098R 38mins 22.202secs
2. Leon Camier GBR Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +7.194s
3. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Alitalia Racing RSV-4 +8.734s
4. Eugene Laverty IRL Yamaha WSBK YZF R1 +14.214s
5. Michel Fabrizio ITA Suzuki Alstare GSX-R1000 +14.750s
6. Marco Melandri ITA Yamaha WSBK YZF R1 +21.634s
7. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Effenbert Liberty Ducati 1098R +24.079s
8. Jakub Smrz CZE Effenbert Liberty Ducati 1098R +25.688s
9. Ayrton Badovini ITA BMW Italia S1000RR +29.621s
10. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki RTS ZX-10R +30.681s
11. Jonathan Rea GBR Castrol Honda CBR1000RR +31.033s
12. Joan Lascorz ESP Kawasaki Racing ZX-10R +37.063s
13. Leon Haslam GBR BMW Motorrad S1000RR +37.455s
14. Maxime Berger FRA Supersonic Ducati 1098R +40.509s
15. Josh Waters AUS Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 +40.894s
16. Roberto Rolfo ITA Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +48.989s
17. Mark Aitchison AUS Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R +52.388s
18. Ruben Xaus ESP Castrol Honda CBR1000RR +1min 18.485s
2011 World Superbike Point Standings (after 5 of 13 rounds)
- Carlos Checa, Ducati 195
- Marco Melandri, Yamaha 134
- Max Biaggi, Aprilia 133
- Eugene Laverty, Yamaha 109
- Leon Haslam, BMW 95
- Jonathan Rea, Honda 94
- Leon Camier, Aprilia 91
- Michel Fabrizio, Suzuki 85
- Jakub Smrz, Ducati 83
- Sylvain Guintoli, Ducati 54
- Noriyuki Haga, Aprilia 54
- Ayrton Badovini, BMW 51
- Tom Sykes, Kawasaki 50
- Troy Corser, BMW 49
- Joan Lascorz, Kawasaki 39
- Ruben Xaus, Honda 31
- Roberto Rolfo, Kawasaki 15
- Maxime Berger, Ducati 12
- Mark Aitchison, Kawasaki 9
- Joshua Waters, Suzuki 8
- Barry Veneman, BMW 3
- James Toseland, BMW 3
- Fabrizio Lai, Honda 1
- Brydan Staring. Kawasaki 1
