2011 Hannspree World SuperBike Championship Round 9, Silverstone, Great Britain, July 31st Race Report

   CHECA MAKES HISTORY FOR DUCATI AT SILVERSTONE 

Infront of 64,000 race fans, Althea Ducati rider Carlos Checa made history for Ducati by giving them there 300th win in the World Superbike Championship since it all started back in 1988. Checa came into the the British round with a reduced thirty points lead in the championship ahead of reigning world champion Max Biaggi, but after scoring victory in both races the Spaniard left the UK with a sixty three point advantage over the Aprilia Alitalia rider. It was a fantastic day for the Yamaha WSBK Team, as their riders Marco Melandri took to the podium in second and third in both races.

Race One. Carlos Checa came from fourth on the grid to take a well earned win in race one at Silverstone. The Althea Ducati star was able to catch race leader Eugene Laverty early on, and by lap seven Checa passed the Yamaha Wsbk Team rider where he was able to open up a healthy lead of three seconds. Laverty bravely fought back but Checa already had the win in the bag. Either way Laverty was happy with his performance in second by beating his team-mate Marco Melandri back to third. Leon Haslam was the first home rider across the line in fourth his best performance since taking a podium earlier in the season at Monza. Pole position wild-card rider John Hopkins finished a respectable fifth for the Samsung Cresent Suzuki Team ahead of the Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati of Sylvain Guintoli and PBM Kawasaki's Joan Lascorz. Maxime Berger scored his best ever WSBK result to date in eighth with the BMW's Troy Corser and Ayrton Badovini completing the top ten.

Race Two. After a convincing win in race one, Carlos Checa made history for Ducati by taking a second win of the day and giving the Italian manufacturer it's 300th win in the history of WSBK. Yet again the Spaniard crossed the line three seconds clear of the Yamaha's of Laverty and Melandri. Having finished race one in eleventh Max Biaggi fought a tough battle with Melandri for third, but with the laps running out fast the world champion succumb to fourth just ahead ofhis team-mate Leon Camier. Sylvain Guintoli took his second sixth place of the day after fending off Suzuki's John Hopkins and BMW's Leon Haslam. Alstare Suzuki's Michel Fabrizio just managed to hold on to ninth after coming under pressure from compatriot Ayrton Badovini on the last lap. James Toseland's return to racing this weekend went according to plan, as the Englishman was able to complete both races by taking twelfth and thirteenth.

SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

British rider Chaz Davies took his fourth win of the season for the Yamaha ParkinGO team at his home round at Silverstone. Davies, held off the race long challenge from Kawasaki Motocard.com rider David Salom to extend his lead in the championship to 42 points. Veteran rider Fabien Foret finished third for the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team. Davies now leads the championship with 141 points, Salom is second on 104, Foret in third on 101 with Broc Parkes in fourth with 95.