Althea Ducati's Carlos Checa has taken the 2011 World Superbike title in fine style at Magny-Cours this morning, winning race one ahead of his sole championship rival Marco Melandrio who had to push his way through the field from ninth to finish two seconds behind the Spaniard with Leon Haslam bagging the last podium spot.
Checa took the lead from Eugene Laverty at half-distance, got his head down and didn't look back, becoming the first-ever Spaniard to win the title. It is also Checa's first world title, garnered at the age of 39 which means there is hope for us all.
Melandri is now 102 points behind Checa with only 75 left on the table but the Italian put on an impressive display as he carved through the field, having to pass big names in order to try and hunt down his title rival.
Melandri took second from his Yamaha team-mate with only three laps to go and was immediately followed through by Haslam who hung on to third. Laverty looked to be having front-end grip issues, then lost fourth place to Alitalia Aprilia's Leon Camier while Liberty Ducati's Sylvain Guintoli took sixth in front of his home crowd.
Laverty led away from the lights with Camier , PBM Kawasaki's Tom Sykes and Checa in tow. The British pair made a break at the front while Melandri scythed his way backwards as Camier and Checa banged fairings on the exit of the hairpin on lap two, letting Laverty pull a 1.3s gap.
Checa passed the lanky former British Superbike Champion a lap later and set off after Laverty. Lap five saw Castrol Honda's Jonathan Rea crash unhurt in the final chicane as Checa caught Laverty and they swapped positions. With 11 laps remaining, Haslam went under Camier for third into the hairpin and began chasing Laverty down but towing Camier with him.
As the laps counted down, the podium positions sorted themselves out with Noriyuki Haga bagging seventh behind Guintoli. Joan Lascorz took eighth, Troy Corser ninth and Sykes slipped to tenth.
