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After hanging his leathers up at the end of 2012, Carlos Checa has been enjoying his time away from the racing scene in many ways. The 2011 Superbike World Champion has though watched this year’s action with a lot of interest and he is looking forward to see how the upcoming edition of the series will shape up, given the technical rules changes that have come into place.

Have you enjoyed the 2014 WorldSBK season? Did you expect Guintoli coming out on top?
“It was an exciting end to the season. I think Sylvain did a great job, he has always shown his talent during the year but before joining Aprilia he never really had that ‘big’ opportunity to prove it. He rode perfectly in Qatar and he was fully motivated, he did what a worthy world champion had to do.”

What have you been doing since your retirement from racing?
“When I retired I was unsure of what it would have been like. My last year of racing was a very stressful one and it took a lot of time to recover from the injury I had. That was my priority but once I got back to full fitness, I got the license to fly ultralight aircrafts and travelled a little bit as well. I also cycled a lot because it was basically the only sport I could do back then – hopefully this winter I will be able to ski, too. I thought that life out of racing would have been boring but it’s completely the opposite. At this moment I’m happy to watch the races from a spectator point of view and I’m not regretting the decision to hang the leathers up.”

You had your difficulties in riding the Panigale in 2012. What is your opinion on the work done on the bike and the improvements made so far?
“Ducati has done an incredible job in developing the Panigale this year. I remember in 2012 that the main problem was lack of power compared to the other bikes as we were losing half a second on the straight. This year they were able to find that power but there is still work to do about tyre wear over the race distance. I think that if they solve this issue they realistically have a chance to fight for the title.”

You were the first – and so far only – Spanish rider able to win a WorldSBK title. Two compatriots of yours, Terol and Torres, have just joined the series. What do you think of their chances to do well?
“Terol and Torres are two young and very talented riders and have the potential to win. They have to get used to the new championship, bikes, tyres and the two-race format. Right now the Kawasaki riders are the favourites but we have to see how Honda, Ducati and Aprilia will perform. Surely I would love to see another Spanish rider on top of the podium.”

Have you ever considered making a return to racing? Maybe just a wildcard ride?
“I’m 100% sure not to be going back to racing. I’m still enjoy riding a motorbike but competition is a whole different thing, it requires commitment. When you’re used to race at the front, in your mind you think you can do it again. Even by doing your best to return as strong as possible, it’s not automatic that it works out.”