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."Â
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
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