Carlos Checa and the Althea Racing team were able to limit the damage and defend their position well during today’s World Superbike races at the Monza track, the characteristics of which favour the four cycliner bikes. Checa returns home still holding a 27-point advantage in the general standings.

Today’s races were far from easy for the Althea team. In Race 1 Carlos was stuck in traffic through the first corners, finding himself down in thirteenth position after one lap. With a faster pace than the riders immediately ahead of him he was able to quickly make up four positions in the first four laps. Althea man Checa then lost some time battling it out with Camier and this prevented him from reaching the leading group. In the final laps a sudden drop in tyre performance meant he was unable to make any further improvement and the Spanish rider thus crossed the line in ninth position, taking home seven important points.

In the second race Carlos made a very good start and had already made up five positions through the first corners. He was lucky to avoid being caught up in the accident that signified the end of the race for several of his rivals, and he started to build up a good rhythm from that point on. Checa’s times remained fast until three laps from the end when he suffered unexpected engine trouble. This problem slowed him down a great deal and he lost four positions in the final two laps. Althea’ flagbearer finished the second of today’s races in eventual tenth position.

Despite today’s results Carlos still holds a 27 point advantage in the riders’ standings (ahead of Melandri in second place) and Ducati continues to lead in the manufacturers’ championship. The next race is Miller, a track that Checa enjoys and where he has obtained strong results in the past.

Carlos Checa

"We’re satisfied because we were aware of our limitations before we arrived here at Monza e we knew that it would be difficult to reach the podium. In race 1 I had to push so hard on the straights that it probably affected the tyre because in the last laps the performance had really dropped off and I couldn’t get ahead of Camier. In the second race we had good pace until three laps from the end when I had an engine problem. It slowed me down so much that I was lucky even to finish. I closed in ninth and tenth position today and, all things considered, these are good points for us at Monza. We leave here with a 27-point lead which surprises me to tell the truth. We’re really happy and will now concentrate on the next round at Miller, where I hope to be able to make two great races.”

RESULTS:
Race 1 -
1. Laverty (Yamaha) ;
2. Biaggi (Aprilia);
3. Haslam (BMW).

Race 2 –
1. Laverty (Yamaha);
2. Melandri (Yamaha);
3. Fabrizio (Suzuki)


CLASSIFICATION: Riders –
1. Checa (Ducati) 145;
2. Melandri (Yamaha) 118;
3. Biaggi (Aprilia) 117;
4. Rea (Honda) 89;
5. Laverty (Yamaha) 85;
6. Haslam (BMW) 84;
7. Fabrizio (Suzuki) 74;
8. Camier (Aprilia) 58……

Constructors –
Ducati 152;
Yamaha 147;
Aprilia 139;
BMW 101;
Honda 93;
Suzuki 74;
Kawasaki 53