Carlos Checa ended a perfect weekend at Magny Cours by winning race 2.
It was the new 2011 World Champion’s fifth double win, his 14th of this fantastic season for the Althea Racing rider who also helped Ducati regain the World Superbike manufacturers’ title.
Checa did not have a good start and found himself trailing behind Jonathan Rea, Eugene Laverty, Leon Camier with Noriyuki Haga getting into the mix.
Rea started distancing himself from the field with Laverty chasing him.
The Althea rider moved into fourth and then overtook Camier on lap 2 and on the following lap was right behind the Yamaha rider, Checa’s first passing attempt went wide and he found himself down in sixth and having to cut through the field again.
On the sixth lap Rea made a slight error which allowed Laverty to reach him and the pass him at the famous Adelaide hairpin on lap seven, while Checa was back in fourth after first passing Haga and then Camier.
He then caught Rea on lap 13 overtaking him easily and they both hunted down race leader Laverty, but disaster again struck the Castrol Honda rider who suddenly slowed down suffering a similar technical issue that stopped him at Imola.
With nine laps left, the Spaniard overtook the Yamaha rider at the Chateau d’Eau and began pulling away, leaving Laverty struggling with tire issues.
Marco Melandri was another rider who had recoup places after a bad start, but he started to go faster as he did in race 1 at the halfway mark, as his fuel load got progressively lighter.
The Italian who will be with BMW next season, carved through the field and caught team mate Eugene Laverty on the last lap at the Adelaide where the two bashed fairings, but Melandri held his place and a better line, finished in second.
Laverty was third, but his earlier 5th place added to the podium finish allowed him to pass the absent Max Biaggi in the standings and take third,Leon Haslam finished in fourth position, ahead of Sylvain Guintoli who got the best of a struggling Leon Camier on the last lap.
Joan Lascorz took seventh place for Kawasaki, after team mate Tom Sykes crashed out on the first lap.
BMW Italia’s Ayrton Badovini finished ahead of factory BMW rider Troy Corser, while Haga could only manage 1oth.
Javier Fores and Maxime Berger were 11th and 12th, respectively.
Michel Fabrizio crashed out again in race 2 on the third lap.
Pedercini’s Mark Aitchison had to pit after just three laps, while his team mate Roberto Rolfo binned it early in the race.
Effenbert’s Jakub Smrz had to sit out race 2 following his big crash in race 1.
WSBK Magny Cours Race 2 results:01- Carlos Checa – Althea Racing – Ducati 1198 – 23 laps in 38’17.
85102- Marco Melandri – Yamaha World Superbike Team – Yamaha YZF R1 – + 1.
26703- Eugene Laverty – Yamaha World Superbike Team – Yamaha YZF R1 – + 2.
04304- Leon Haslam – BMW Motorrad Motorsport – BMW S1000RR – + 6.
50605- Sylvain Guintoli – Team Effenbert Liberty Racing – Ducati 1198 – + 7.
84306- Leon Camier – Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 8.
36007- Joan Lascorz – Kawasaki Racing Team – Kawasaki ZX-10R – + 15.
28508- Ayrton Badovini – BMW Motorrad Italia – BMW S1000RR – + 15.
54909- Troy Corser – BMW Motorrad Motorsport – BMW S1000RR – + 16.
27810- Noriyuki Haga – Pata Racing Team Aprilia – Aprilia RSV4 Factory – + 22.
99611- Javier Fores – BMW Motorrad Italia – BMW S1000RR – + 43.
13212- Maxime Berger – Supersonic Racing Team – Ducati 1198 – + 47.
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