2011 World Superbike
Spoiler Alert: 2011 Magny-Cours France World Superbike results below
Heading into the penultimate round of the 2011 World Superbike Championship at Magny-Cours, France, Sunday, Carlos Checa only needed three points to secure the title.
This was due to leading Yamaha’s Marco Melandri by 96 points as the series moved to France. The Althea Ducati rider Checa knew patience would be key to clenching his first-ever World Superbike title, and patience is just what he had.
Checa would not only take the race-1 win, securing the title, but come back to take race 2 also, making for 14 race wins in 12 rounds.
Checa was joined on the race-1 podium by BMW Motorrad’s Leon Haslam and Melandri, respectively. In race 2, it was Melandri in second with Laverty in third.
With his title, Checa became the 14th Ducati rider to take a World SBK crown. Ducati also won the manufacturer’s title with one round to go.
Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati 1198R) says: "Today has been a perfect day, the best day of my career and probably the best day of my life. 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 thank Genesio Bevilacqua, 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."
Starting from third on the grid behind Laverty and pole-sitter Rea, Checa began pushing hard, eventually taking Camier and Laverty for the lead on the ninth lap. By the end of the 15th lap, Checa got into the lead, eventually finishing 2.201 seconds ahead of Melandri, with Haslam 3.218 seconds back.
Although Checa clinched the championship after obtaining 25 points in Race 1, he didn’t slow his pace down for race 2. He was shuffled back to fourth on the first lap, but was into second by the end of the second lap.
He would then have a small mistake while passing Laverty, but he regained his momentum and began leading on Lap 13. He didn’t look back, and finished 1.267 ahead of Melandri, with Laverty 2.043 seconds behind.
Althea Ducati says: "The season has brought huge success, with the team clocking up 14 race wins and a total of 20 podium finishes over the twelve events held so far. At Silverstone, Carlos also reached the milestone of 100 SBK race starts while simultaneously scoring the 300th race win for Ducati. Carlos has thus far attained 39 podiums from 106 SBK race starts."
As the series enters the final round at Portimao Oct. 16, Checa has a total of 467 points. Melandri retained second with 360, and Laverty moved into third with 283 points.
2011 Magny-Cours World Superbike Race 1 Results:
1. Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 38’16.465
2. Marco Melandri Yamaha ITA 0’02.201
3. Leon Haslam BMW GBR 0’03.218
4. Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0’03.796
5. Eugene Laverty Yamaha GBR 0’05.602
6. Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 0’09.634
7. Noriyuki Haga Aprilia JPN 0’09.814
8. Joan Lascorz Kawasaki ESP 0’11.387
9. Troy Corser BMW AUS 0’17.143
10. Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 0’24.523
11. Javier Fores BMW ESP 0’34.532
12. Michel Fabrizio Suzuki ITA 1’19.742
13. Roberto Rolfo Kawasaki ITA 1’50.000
2011 Magny-Cours World Superbike Race 2 Results:
1. Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 38’17.851
2. Marco Melandri Yamaha ITA 0’01.267
3. Eugene Laverty Yamaha GBR 0’02.043
4. Leon Haslam BMW GBR 0’06.506
5. Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 0’07.843
6. Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 0’08.360
7. Joan Lascorz Kawasaki ESP 0’15.285
8. Ayrton Badovini BMW ITA 0’15.549
9. Troy Corser BMW AUS 0’16.278
10. Noriyuki Haga Aprilia JPN 0’22.996
11. Javier Fores BMW ESP 0’43.132
12. Maxime Berger Ducati FRA 0’47.846
2011 World Superbike Championship Point Standings (after 12 of 13 rounds):
1. Carlos Checa Ducati ESP 467
2. Marco Melandri Yamaha ITA 360
3. Eugene Laverty Yamaha GBR 283
4. Max Biaggi Aprilia ITA 281
5. Leon Haslam BMW GBR 216
6. Leon Camier Aprilia GBR 194
7. Sylvain Guintoli Ducati FRA 179
8. Noriyuki Haga Aprilia JPN 170
9. Ayrton Badovini BMW ITA 155
10. Michel Fabrizio Suzuki ITA 145
11. Joan Lascorz Kawasaki ESP 142
12. Jonathan Rea Honda GBR 138
13. Tom Sykes Kawasaki GBR 133
14. Jakub Smrz Ducati CZE 118
15. Troy Corser BMW AUS 85
16. Maxime Berger Ducati FRA 49
