1. Carlos Checa Carrera was born on 15 October 1972 and is a Spanish former professional motorcycle road racer and winner of the 2011 Superbike World Championship.
16 Facts About Carlos Checa
1. 2.
Carlos Checa has a younger brother, David Checa, a motorcycle racer who competed in the Superbike World Championship for 2008.
3.
Carlos Checa shocked the paddock by being on the pace and nearly winning the Barcelona race.
4.
Carlos Checa fought back to ride that year, missing just one race, before racing for Yamaha as Max Biaggi's teammate on two-strokes and four-strokes.
5.
Carlos Checa nearly won many races but had a habit of crashing after taking the lead.
6.
Carlos Checa continued racing with the factory Yamaha team for the 2003 and 2004 seasons, before he moved to Marlboro Ducati in 2005.
7.
Carlos Checa struggled as the sole LCR Honda rider in 2007, with the 800cc Honda proving uncompetitive for many riders.
8.
Carlos Checa returned to the series in 2010, as replacement for Mika Kallio for the last two races of the season.
9.
Carlos Checa did not reach the podium again, but consistent results elsewhere allowed him to finish fifth in the championship.
10.
Carlos Checa won the Suzuka 8 Hours with teammate Ryuichi Kiyonari.
11.
In 2009, Carlos Checa struggled to compete for much of the season, securing just four podium finishes and finishing seventh in the riders' standings, 32 points behind satellite Honda rider Leon Haslam.
12.
In November 2009, Carlos Checa was confirmed as a rider at the Althea Ducati team, where he would race alongside Shane Byrne.
13.
Carlos Checa scored Althea's first win at the season opening meeting at Phillip Island, and was on course for victories in both races at Miller Motorsports Park in the United States before suffering mystery mechanical failures in both races.
14.
Carlos Checa went on to win the Italian round at Imola and finished the season in third place in the 2010 championship.
15.
Carlos Checa dominated the opening round of the 2011 season, winning both races comfortably at Phillip Island on his Ducati 1098R.
16.
Carlos Checa won thirteen more times and was crowned the 2011 World Superbike Champion at the penultimate round at the Magny-Cours circuit in France, becoming the first Spaniard and only the third European rider from outside of the United Kingdom after Raymond Roche and Max Biaggi to have done so.