Over in the Ducati Alstare garage, development work continued on the new Ducati 1199 Panigale machine, and Carlos Checa managed to reduce the gap separating him from the top on day 1
For the rest and the lap times, click HERE
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Ductalk: What's Up In The World Of Ducati
Ducati News Roundup Curated by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Over in the Ducati Alstare garage, development work continued on the new Ducati 1199 Panigale machine, and Carlos Checa managed to reduce the gap separating him from the top on day 1
For the rest and the lap times, click HERE
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
The Ducati 1198/1098R, one of the most successful bikes in the history of the World Superbike Championship, prepares to bow out at Magny-Cours.
Carlos Checa feels he is well placed to give the ultra-successful Ducati 1198 a fitting end to its World Superbike tenure after the outgoing champion qualified second at Magny-Cours.
For the rest click HERE
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Ductalk editors note:
With all the attention to the MotoGP silly season the SBK silly season has been going along under the radar. If you can work thru the bad Google translation there is some pretty big stuff here - Checa has had talks with a Kawasaki team, who might replace him (Nicky?). A lot of gossip that was kicking around at WDW, first time we have seen it all organized, in print.
For the whole story, in Italian, click HERE
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Tooele • Reigning World Superbike champion Carlos Checa is fourth in the 2012 season-point total standings.
He’s come to the right place, however, if he wants to start climbing the ladder.
Checa has always fared well at Miller Motorsports Park, which plays host to the North American round of the FIM Superbike World Champion series this weekend.
Practice starts Saturday with Superpole qualifying on Sunday. Two 64-mile races will be Monday at noon and 3:30 p.m., respectively.
Checa, a 39-year-old Spaniard, has four wins in the four years World Superbike has stopped in Utah, including a double-victory last year. He’s been the pole-sitter three times....http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/54184601-77/superbike-race-checa-miller.html.csp
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Matador Checa in favourite Miller arena...
The reigning World Superbike champion Carlos Checa will be returning to one of his favourite tracks on the Superbike calendar this weekend hoping that a similar performance to the ones he has produced since the track's inauguration in 2008 will bring the Spaniard back into the midst of a thrilling 2012 title battle....http://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/5-sbk-news/13312-matador-checa-in-favourite-miller-arena.html
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
WSBK News. “I want to set-up and improve the Panigale and probably, if things are going well, race with that bike next year” - Carlos Checa.
If all goes to plan, Carlos Checa will remain with Althea Ducati to race the new 1199 Panigale in next year's World Superbike Championship.
At a time when former MotoGP rivals Casey Stoner (26) and Valentino Rossi (33) have been fending off retirement rumours, 39-year-old Checa shows no sign of hanging up his leathers....more on the headline link above
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WSBK News. Carlos Checa endures his toughest weekend for some time as he manages just a single sixth place finish at Donington Park.
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
WSBK News. Carlos Checa can only manage ninth position in qualifying at Donington Park after struggling to find grip on his Althea Ducati....more on headline link above
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Carlos Checa says he can expect the sizeable British contingent to be the reckoned force ahead of this weekend's World Superbike round at Donington Park, though his results at the circuit last season give him confidence that he will also be amongst the riders to beat.
Checa notched up a poignant victory at the Leicestershire circuit last season, 13 years after a serious accident whilst competing in MotoGP almost cost him his life.
Looking ahead to this year's race, Checa is optimistic that he can replicate the form that saw him on the top step of the podium, even if he expects the likes of Tom Sykes, Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea to put on a good show for their UK fans and take the challenge to both himself and the Althea Ducati team.... Click headline for full story
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SBK News chats to current superbike champ Carlos Checa after first days qualifying in Monza...
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
WSBK News. The inclement weather conditions play into the hands of Carlos Checa and Althea Ducati as the Spaniard qualifies on the front row. For more click on the headline link above.
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Monza (Italy), Friday 4th May 2012: the Althea Racing team and its riders Carlos Checa and Davide Giugliano were greeted by warm and sunny conditions at the Monza racetrack, where the fourth round of the 2012 World Superbike Championship is taking place this weekend. Checa and Giugliano closed today’s first qualifying in ninth and tenth place respectively at the fastest track on the SBK calendar.
Checa and Giugliano were out on track this morning for the first free practice session of the weekend. With a track temperature of 39˚C, both riders worked to refine the set-up of their 1198 bikes ahead of this afternoon’s first qualifying session, using last year’s data as a base from which to work. Concentrating on preparing the bike itself rather than on lap times, Carlos closed in thirteenth position with a best time of 1m44.4 and Davide in fourteenth place, just one tenth of a second behind his team-mate.
The first qualifying session was also completed in good conditions. Both Althea flagbearers worked hard to improve on the morning’s performances. In the opening phase, Giugliano dropped his time by more than a second, recording a 1m43.4 which positioned him tenth at the session’s end. Carlos’ times began to fall in the second half of the session; the current world champion registered his fastest time in the final minutes, with a 1m43.3 that put him in ninth position, once again a fraction of a second ahead of his team-mate. The results bode well, especially considering the chances of bad, or at least variable, weather that is forecast for the rest of the weekend.
Carlos Checa:
“Considering the track, one of those at which we have always had trouble, I’d say that we’ve grown during today’s two sessions. I’ve even improved in T2, a point of the track that usually gives me problems. There are sections where we can definitely make further improvement but, all things considered, I’m satisfied with the work we’ve done so far.”
Davide Giugliano:
“It went quite well today. This morning we worked hard on the bike, knowing that we needed to do as well as possible this afternoon, in case of rain tomorrow. The important thing is that Carlos and I are the first Ducatis, and it’s no surprise that the four-cylinders are all up ahead. The weather looks like being very changeable but I’m feeling ready and confident whatever the conditions over the rest of the weekend.”
TIMES (Qualifying): 1. Fabrizio (BMW) 1’42.3; 2. Melandri (BMW) 1’42.3; 3. Haslam (BMW) 1’42.5; 4. Laverty (Aprilia) 1’42.6; 5. Badovini (BMW) 1’42.6; 6. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1’42.7; 7. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1’42.8; 8. Davies (Aprilia) 1’43.2; 9. Checa (Ducati) 1’43.3; 10. Giugliano (Ducati) 1’43.4
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
WSBK News. Carlos Checa casts a pessimistic figure heading into the fourth round of the 2012 World Superbike Championship at Monza, the champion admitting he will struggle to make the top five.
Carlos Checa concedes he isn't even expecting to crack the top five during the fourth round of the 2012 World Superbike Championship as the series reaches the high-speed layout of Monza.
The reigning champion has made frequent reference to the circuit being his and Ducati's nadir, the twin-cylinder machine having struggled for outright speed over the long straights of the Italian circuit in 2011....more on the headline link above
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
This weekend at Monza, Infront Motor Sports, WSB promoter and organizer, will roll out a party celebrating 25 Years of World Superbike: “25 exciting years”
It’s going to be a great weekend with photo opportunity’s at every turn. A large lineup of legendary world champions will be on hand that for us literally lead from the past, with Doug Polen on the 851 to the future, with Troy Bayliss’s development of the 1199 Panigale. For a Ducatisti, a photo of Doug Polen, Giancarlo Fallapa, Carl Fogerty, Troy Bayliss, and Carlos Checa – multi generations of Ducati champions responsible for a huge chunk of Ducati history (and retail sales) has likely never happened before. It’s going to be something really special to see.
For the rest of this story: http://www.ducati.net/2012/05/25-years-of-racing-entertainment-the-ultimate-ducatisbk-fan-photo-opportunity/
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
When Ducati decided to officially withdraw their factory effort in World Superbikes at the end of 2010, but continue to support private teams, there was some massive complaining from offended fans, who blamed Gabriele Del Torchio for re-routing the funds for the team to hire an expensive Valentino Rossi (we know how that’s working out) in MotoGP, but by the end of the 2011 season all the mumblings were swept away as Althea Racing’s Carlos Checa went on to win the World championship title with Ducati scooping up the manufacturer’s title as well.
To celebrate the accomplishment, Althea Racing is releasing their official book this month,...For more and where to buy, click on the headline link above
Scooped by Vicki Smith for Ducati.net |
Assen (The Netherlands), Saturday 21st April 2012: the third Superpole of the 2012 World Superbike Championship took place this afternoon with very variable conditions at the Dutch TT Circuit in Assen. Carlos Checa, championship leader after two rounds, qualified in fifth place for tomorrow’s races while his team-mate Davide Giugliano will start from the fifth row, in nineteenth position.
As expected, this morning’s second qualifying session took place in the rain and with a track temperature of just 4 degrees (air temperature 8˚C). Despite the difficult conditions, Giugliano made some fast laps right from the start, recording one of the fastest times of the first half of the session (2m01). Unfortunately, towards mid-session, the Althea Racing rider crashed, but was thankfully unhurt. It took time to repair the damage to the bike and so Davide was unable to return to the track. Lap times began to fall in the final stages of the session when the rain stopped but Carlos wasn’t taking any risks, preferring to work on the set-up and recording a best of 1m57. Yesterday’s dry qualifying times thus determined who would enter this afternoon’s Superpole, meaning that Checa qualified with no problems in fourth position while Giugliano unfortunately closed outside of the top sixteen. He will start from nineteenth position on tomorrow’s grid.
Superpole 1:
Today’s Superpole was declared ‘wet’ despite the fact that the rain had stopped once more and the track was beginning to dry out again. Regulations dictate that a wet Superpole comprises two free sessions, each twenty minutes in length. Carlos went out on slick tyres and by the end of the session had clocked a best time of 1m38.8, closing the first phase in third position and proceeding to the second phase without difficulty.
Superpole 2:
This time Checa took to the track first with a race tyre and then on a qualifier. The times dropped dramatically in this second session, thanks to a quickly drying track. The Althea flagbearer recorded a fastest lap time of 1m37.1 which assured him of fifth position on the grid for tomorrow’s races.
Carlos Checa:
“This weekend has been, let’s say, different to many others, in that we’ve seen almost everything from a weather point of view, and such variable conditions have prevented us from working well, as it’s not been really dry or really wet for any length of time. In these conditions it’s also difficult with only one bike, as we can no longer set up one for the dry and the other for the wet, and so we lose time. I can’t make any guesses for the races, the only thing I can say with certainty is that everything is entirely unpredictable here at Assen!”
Davide Giugliano:
“Let’s say that it didn’t go our way this morning. We hoped to be able to make a few laps in the dry, seeing as we didn’t manage to qualify for the Superpole during yesterday’s session. But the track only got worse during today’s session, and was neither completely wet nor totally dry. I’d say that we’re better prepared for a wet race tomorrow, as we’ve had less time to work in the dry, but I just hope that we have one or the other, wet or dry, rather than mixed conditions like today.”