Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) swept the weekend with a sensational double victory and Superpole at Miller Motorsports Park race, watched by 51,000 spectators, marked World Superbike's return to the United States for the first time since 2004.
Checa scored the first victory, double, and Superpole his career and set fastest lap in both races - he also gave Honda their 100th victory in the Superbike World Championship. With today's wins, Checa has reduced the gap to leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) to 28 points after the Australian left the USA with zero on his scorecard, the result of a crash and a technical problem in the two races. Including race 2 at Monza, Bayliss has failed to finish in his last 3 races.
Race 1 was reduced by one lap after a problem for Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) on the grid and a subsequent restart. Rookie Checa took his first SBK win after starting from pole, moving into the lead on lap 4 and having an untroubled run until the flag. Second place went to an on-form Troy Corser (Yamaha Italia), who had not finished on the podium since Valencia, while Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) powered his way up to third after concluding the opening lap in fourteenth place. The Italian passed Max Neukirchner (Alstare Suzuki) three laps from the end. Fifth place went to Fonsi Nieto (Suzuki Alstare) ahead of the surprising Jakub Smrz (Guandalini Ducati) and Karl Muggeridge (DF Racing Honda). Max Biaggi (Sterilgarda Ducati) could only finish ninth. The Italian, third at the end of the opening lap, went off the track after a contact with Haga and lost time. Championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) had a nasty crash on lap 5 at the final turn while battling for second, and so did Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Italia), who was racing with a broken right collarbone.
Race 2 was a bit closer than the first, but once Checa found the lead on lap 9, he went untouched for victory. Neukirchner led the early laps but once passed by Carlos, he settled for second, consolidating his third place in the championship. The final podium place went to Fabrizio, who again had a poor start, twelfth at the end of lap 1, but the Ducati Xerox rider was the quickest man on the track in the final stages. Biaggi had a good run to fourth after holding on to third for much of the race, the Italian finishing ahead of Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki Alstare) and a heroic Haga, who will undergo a collarbone operation tomorrow to be fit for Nurburgring in two weeks time. Ninth place went to Regis Laconi (PSG-1 Corse), the first Kawasaki to the flag. Bayliss was out of the points in race 2 after returning to the pits to fix a loose gear shifter, while Corser was again heading for the podium in third but he crashed out on lap 17.
Race 1 Highlights
Race 2 Highlights
Carlos Checa - Hanspree Ten Kate Honda - 1st/1st It's been fantastic to take a double win here in the USA. Just at the start of the first race I had some problems with my number one bike and had to use the second one. I felt I had a good start, but then saw the other riders in front of me I knew I had to work hard. When I saw Neukirchner in front I knew I could overtake him and take the lead. In the beginning it was difficult to make a gap, but then I made enough ground. It then was more difficult to control my mind than control the tyre. At the end of the race Corser was catching up and I had to concentrate and improve my pace. The last time I won a race was ten years ago and these are my first wins outside Spain. I would like to dedicate them to my friend Wayne Rainey.
Michel Fabrizio - Ducati Xerox - 3rd/3rd Obviously I am extremely happy with today's results. In Race 1 I had a gear problem on the start-line which caused a race restart but thanks to the great work of my team I was able to start (the restarted Race 1) without incident. On the first lap I went right down to fourteenth position but worked my way up the field, stayed calm and was very satisfied to take third. In Race 2 I again had to make up a lot of positions and although I'm happy with third, I was hoping to be able to give Carlos more of a run for his money. It was hard work today, the heat and altitude here makes it a really physical challenge, and the last laps of both races were a struggle.
Max Neukirchner - Suzuki Alstare - 4th/2nd I'm very happy today, but I am destroyed! It's been a hot, long, hard day and the races were very tough. Early in race one, Biaggi braked too late for the first turn and I had to change direction which cost me some time and places. I was also very close to Bayliss when he crashed and I think I'm lucky not to hit him or his bike. I soon settled into a rhythm and began to charge again, but in the latter part of the race I had some front tyre problems and I couldn't attack the leaders as I wanted. We changed the bike a little for race two, because I had been having some problems entering the turns in the first race and the bike was better, but Checa got away again and was too far ahead to catch. Considering the problems we had at the start of the weekend, I am happy. I have the best team in the paddock: They worked so hard for me and I want to thank them for these good results.
Troy Corser - Yamaha Italia - 2nd/DNB The first race was pretty good and even the second one was going well although I was having to ride hard in the corners to make up the time. So I pushed a bit too hard. We changed the fork settings between race one and race two and it was better, but it gave a bit less warning. I felt I could have had another podium in that race. Race one was a good confidence booster but I just made a slowish start.
Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha Italia - DNF/6th In race one I lost grip in the same corner as I did on Saturday. I think I opened the throttle a bit too much at maximum lean angle. In the end it was impossible for me to do more than I did in the second race. I scored ten points more than Troy Bayliss so that is the most important thing. Now I will have an operation to pin my collarbone and be ready for the next race. I was happy to race today because nobody thought I would be able to.
Fonsi Nieto - Suzuki Alstare - 5th/8th Race one was not so bad and, to get fifth, considering that I had to start from the fourth row of the grid, was quite good. Also, when Haga crashed, I had to go off the track to avoid hitting him and because of that. I lost time and positions. After that, I really had to work hard to get back into the top six. I used the same bike in race two, but we made some small adjustments to the front forks and the feeling was better, especially on the brakes and into the turns. However, it came with a little loss of traction. I didn't get a good start and later I had trouble with Laconi, who made me go wide a few times. Funnily enough, my last lap in the race was the fastest! Today, I gained a place in the championship, but I know we can do a lot better.
Yukio Kagayama - Suzuki Alstare - 8th/5th My start in the first race was not so good and I couldn't slipstream anybody going into the first turn because there was not enough space to do it. I was 15th at the end of lap one and had to do a lot of work on the brakes to catch the leaders again. It was not so good towards the end because the tyres were worn out, but I tried my best. I wasn't happy with eighth position and knew it should be better. In race two I changed to a softer front tyre and the feeling was improved and I was able to use the brakes better. It took me a little while to understand how my bike was performing and after 10 laps I had a good rhythm and was running consistent times. At Miller, it seems that the grip level doesn't change with temperature variations and the grip at the end was good enough for me to set my fastest lap on the last lap! One lap before the end, I overtook Nori. I knew he was riding with a broken collarbone, and was probably in pain, but I also knew I had to pass him. As I went past, I said 'Sorry, Nori.' I felt bad, but I know, that if the circumstances were reversed, he would've done the same!
Ryuchi Kiyonari - Hanspree Ten Kate - 10th/7th I had a good start in race one, but my first laps were too slow and I dropped back in the field. I did chase the front-runners and managed to gain some ground but it wasn't enough for a good result. For the second race we changed the front tyre and we tried a different setting. Again I had a good start and I worked hard to make my way forward, but in the last laps I lost the grip from my front tyre and I couldn't push any further.
Troy Bayliss - Ducati Xerox - DNF/22nd I am really disappointed with today's results of course. In race 1 I crashed in a similar way to how I went down yesterday, which was a bit strange. Having said that, my weekend had been going ok until Race 1 and I was feeling pretty positive ahead of Race 2. Although I got a good start, after a few laps something came loose with the gear shifter so I had to come in. We sorted it quickly enough that I thought I might as well go out and ride, even if it was impossible to get points. I was going well out there but I was too far behind to make up any places. It goes without saying that after all our hard work this weekend I'm really disappointed that we've given away 50 championship points in one weekend.
