Checa takes double as Biaggi takes title
Added on Sunday, September 26th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Checa takes double as Biaggi takes title
Carlos Checa scored a double win at Imola this afternoon, however the crowd’s attentions turned to the newly crowned 2010 WSB champion.
With one round in hand Max Biaggi was able to wrap up the 2010 championship title, after chief rival fell by the wayside on the second outing. Despite Checa’s efforts, the crowd were focused on their hero who took the championship for the first time to also become Aprilia’s and Italy’s first WSB Champion.
After securing pole position in yesterday’s qualifying session, Tom Sykes rocketed away at the start, to hold the lead for much of the outing. However, as the race progressed he gradually slipped backwards as others muscled their way through.
Once in the lead, Checa came under immense pressure from Leon Haslam in the closing stages, until the Brit ran wide in an attempt to steal the lead on the final tour, which left him in fifth place. Lorenzo Lanzi inherited second place in Haslam’s absence, while Noriyuki Haga scored a third place finish.
Further back, Jakub Smrz crossed the line fourth, with Haslam fifth and Sykes sixth. Michel Fabrizio was just adrift in seventh, while Shane Byrne, Sylvain Guintoli and Cal Crutchlow finished off the top ten. James Toseland suffered a non-finish after a difficult qualifying session yesterday, while remaining fellow Brit Ian Lowry crossed the line seventeenth. Biaggi struggled to an eleventh place finish, as the championship title edged that bit closer to him.
Looking back over his win, Checa told the official WSB website: “Fantastic race, we struggled yesterday for qualifying in the wet but today it was more hard for the Ducatis and the top guys because it’s not easy trying to pass and everyone is going fast in the beginning. I didn’t want to make any mistake. Right to the very end I was pushing quite strong, at the end I didn’t expect Haslam to push so strong. I saw him braking very late, but I was able to have a clean track and finish a special and nice victory. This was like a home race for the team so a big race for them.”
Race two was much of the same at the head of the field, as a number of riders were struck with issues sending them into retirement.
Despite leading once again for four laps of this second outing, Sykes was unable to steal the win, however still showed impressive pace for his Kawasaki Racing Team.
Out in front, Checa took an unrivalled victory, also securing a new lap record with a time of 1m48.877 seconds, as the battle unfolded behind him. After sneaking onto the podium in the first pursuit, Haga went one better this time out, finishing second just ahead of Crutchlow.
Sykes was able to hang onto those in front of him for a fourth place finish, while Biaggi cruised to fifth. After Haslam was forced out of the race due to engine problems Biaggi had already done enough to secure the 2010 title, however continued in fifth place to ensure the title came his way.
Sixth place went the way of Shane Byrne, while Lanzi secured seventh, ahead of Guintoli, Ruben Xaus and Luca Scassa.
Commenting on his championship success, Biaggi told the official WSB website: “I’m so happy, it’s a big emotion through all my body. This is fantastic. It’s like a dream come true, I never stopped to dream to make it happen. It was always in my mind. In fair conditions I expected it myself, OK this year we at Aprilia did a good job, there are tough riders out there, I don’t want to take anything away from them, some are more consistent than others but they are all fast and this championship is very competitive. I had so many problems in race 1, off the track, on the track, the bike sideways but I didn’t crash. It was very tough, for sure we didn’t get the best set-up here at Imola, it’s not an easy track but I never stopped to try. In race 2 we changed the bike and I attacked from the first lap. This is a really great day for me, for all my team, for Aprilia Alitalia, my sponsors, everyone who supported us to make this dream come true. We really made it happen.”
With the drivers title now decided all attention has switched to the constructor’s championship, which is yet to be finalised. The season finale is next on the calendar, as the WSB fraternity now make their way to Magny Cours, France, on the 2nd-3rd October.
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