since his first sessions in the official IMS tests at Phillip Island earlier this week Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) made himself a force to be reckoned with.
Race 1
Checa's winning margin over Biaggi in Phillip Island race 1 was clear evidence of the Althea man's domination. Checa took the lead from Laverty on lap 3 and steadily pulled out to an unchallenged 4-second gap at the flag. Biaggi soon realized it was not possible to keep the pace of Checa and settled for second. The podium was completed by Haslam who held off both Yamaha riders, Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri, who exchanged places right at the flag in a sprint finish.
Fastest lap : Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing), 1'32.034 (Lap 2)
The top three said.
Carlos Checa: "Here we have something extra, maybe the bike works really well at this track and I like it as well. We did a great job in testing, practice and qualifying but you never know, conditions can change. I started well and made a gap, controlled the race, went fast lap by lap, but it's a fantastic winning start for me and the team."
Max Biaggi: "A very good result because the last two years at Phillip Island we were struggling and far behind. The twins are always a bit better on this track but I don't want to take anything away from Checa, he did a fantastic race. We did our best, I came close at some stage but my wheel was spinning so I couldn't go faster."
Leon Haslam: "A third place is like a win for me at this stage, we've come on a lot this last week and the boys have worked fantastic. I'm looking forward to having a look at the data because we had a few issues and still managed to get on the podium. Hopefully the team can work its magic in race 2."
Race 2
Again no one was able to run with Checa and he finished a clear distance ahead of Biaggi again, 1.118 seconds at the flag. The reigning world champion battled it out for the runner-up slot in the final stages with an impressive Melandri just getting the edge at the line after some very impressive close-quarter racing from each rider.
Fastest lap : Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia Racing), 1'32.012 (Lap 3)
Again the top three said.
Carlos Checa: "It wasn't easy at all. I went into first position as soon as I can, but Haslam was not easy to pass at all. From there I tried to make my place on the track, but I know they were fighting behind me and two seconds lead wasn't perfect. This is the best start for me, 50 points here in Australia."
Max Biaggi: "Two second places in Australia is a very good result. It's good to come back here after we struggled the last two years. Thanks to my team and crew, we've been working very well these days. It was good battling with Marco, the Yamaha has potential and I think they can do a good race, and Haslam as well. It makes it better for the competition."
Marco Melandri: "It's been an amazing day for me after not such a good race 1. I didn't have a good feeling with the bike so we sat down with our team and they made a good job on the bike for race 2. I could ride so much stronger, I started more aggressive, and it felt very good to be back on the podium after such a long time, I'm just a bit disappointed not to beat Max for second place."
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