Reigning World Superbike Champion Carlos Checa seems resigned to losing his crown in 2012 and intimates the six kilogramme wieight limit imposed on his bike this season is the reason behind it.

The Althea Ducati man has suffered more than his fair share of crashes this year as he tries to make up for the serious straightline speed deficit on the brakes and using the 1098R's superior corner speed but it just hasn't been enough. Added to that, the Spaniard says track data from the previous season is no longer relevant.

“It’s difficult because we usually use the data from the previous year’s race but, as we saw in Germany, last year we were going a lot better while this year we’re struggling and so those references are not so useful," said Checa.

"Nevertheless Portimao is a fun track with undulations that really make the rider work hard. I’ll face this weekend with the usual philosophy, I’ll do my best to adapt to the conditions and make the most of both the bike and my ability. We’ll see what we are able to do.”