2011 World Champion loses vital points at new circuit
Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) knew that his first Tissot-Superpole win of the season was not going to help him too much on race day, given his machine's relative lack of pure power and speed on the uphill straight that brings the riders back toward the paddock. He could hardly have expected to have such an unlucky time in Russia however, as he scored a DNF and then a fourth place that was almost consigned to be another fall due to the actions of other riders.
Carlos is now looking much less likely to be champion again in 2012 than he did entering the Russian round, given that he is now further adrift in fourth place and a whopping 75 points behind the new points leader Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport). With only three rounds and a maximum of 150 points up for grabs, this is a significant gap to bridge. Even the rider just above him in the current title fight, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki), is a handsome 34 points ahead, so it may not even take an unusual set of circumstances for the Spaniard to be crowned champion for the second year in succession.
Said the rider who was so dominant in 2011 about his Russian weekend, "We did what we could and that's how it went. In the first race we chose slick tyres - it would have been impossible to finish the race on rain tyres. It was a pity for the crash - I was fighting with Johnny for the position, he came too close to me, didn't leave me room and I lost the front when he touched the handlebar."
In race two, Checa was both lucky and unlucky, as a collision between two other riders put him off the podium and almost out of the results for a second time. "We had to build the bike from the rolling chassis for race 2 as there were some problems with my bike after the crash. I had similar sensations to yesterday but had real difficulty on the straight - it was extremely difficult to pass, or even get close enough to attempt to do that."
The hope for Checa to cling onto now is that last year, over the final six individual races in Imola, France and Portugal, he scored big - four wins, a third place and a fourth. Similar results will be needed for Carlos to have any chance to get into contention again before the season is out in 2012. Given his ever-present professionalism and will to win, he will of course be going all out to fight all the way.
