Checa the champion after 13th race win
Sunday, 2 October 2011 10:54 GMT
Checa the champion after 13th race win
Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) won his first Superbike World Championship with an assured victory in the opening 23-lap race at Magny-Cours. Once clear of long-time leader Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) Checa was unopposed and took his 13th race win and raised his points total to an unassailable 442.
His only pre-race title rival, Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team), was second after a late charge through to the podium, with Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) making his German based team happy with a top three finish.
Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) was a close fourth, with Laverty slowing to end up fifth.
