Checa Faces Tough Monza Trial
Carlos Checa has been on a tear over the first 3 rounds of the World Superbike Championship taking Superpole at every meeting and winning 4 of the 6 races making for a convincing lead in the championship standings. Now this weekend Monza looms, the track where the Aprilia’s hit 330km/h last year on the long straights. Many believe the Ducati will struggle.
Checa’s strong results to date have come despite the withdrawal of the factory Xerox team (the Althea Ducati is widely seen as full factory in all but name) and the lack of top end speed of the aging 1198 platform. The Aprilia is especially fast, powering past even the other 4 cylinder machines with ease and blasting past the Ducati any time it gets an opportunity to stretch its legs. At Monza, where the riders average over 125mph per lap there are plenty such opportunities.
As he heads into Round 4 of the championship, Althea Racing flagbearer Carlos Checa holds a 43 point advantage over Biaggi, the second-placed rider. Having clocked up four race wins and two third place finishes, Checa’s results also help place Ducati at the top of the manufacturer’s standings.
Aware that the Monza track may present the biggest challenges of the season thus far, the Althea Racing squad is determined to throw everything they have at the track and defend its championship lead.
“I will face Monza just as I have the other races. Up until now we have had great results and so we won’t be changing much technically speaking. This is of course a different kind of track and we will have to work hard to not lose too much ground on the straights. There are some difficult sections of track and so we must interpret the circuit well and concentrate on the tough parts. I feel in great shape and am ready to give my all. My team is extremely motivated and with their help I think we can make two great races.”
Last year Max Biaggi won both races on his Aprilia RSV4 with Checa not able to do better than 14th and 11th in the two races. While Max hit 330km/h (205mph) on the long straight, Checa was 10km/h (6mph) slower – crucial at a circuit where losing the tow means finishing well down the order. Still with a healthy point margin, Carlos can afford to have an average round where the objective will be very much about minimizing the damage to his championship lead.
Source: Althea Racing
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