Carlos Checa looks back: SBK World Championship title the icing on the cake of his career

When Carlos Checa moved to the Ten Kate Honda team for the 2008 Superbike World Championship, he had 15 years’ experience in the GP paddock under his belt. The Spaniard spent most of that time in the top category: in the 500cc World Championship between 1996 and 2001, and in MotoGP from 2002 to 2007. Checa was always quick – as evidenced by 24 podium finishes and two wins – but he was also prone to crashes. He had his best season in 1998, finishing fourth in the World Championship.

Things went better for the Catalan in the production-based World Championship. Riding the CBR1000RR, he secured three wins and eleven podium finishes. His breakthrough then came with the Ducati team led by Genesio Bevilacqua, who passed away at the start of this year: in 2011, Checa clinched the World Championship title with 15 wins and 21 top-three finishes. A protracted injury brought his career to an end in 2013.

“I unfortunately just missed out in the 500cc class, but I think that, for various reasons, sometimes everything just has to fall into place,” Checa recalled in an interview with Motosan. “Then came the Suzuka 8 Hours, which I also won – a very special race for me, one I’d recommend to anyone who’s in good shape. And then, finally, winning in the Superbike World Championship too.”

In his native Spain, however, Checa did not receive the same recognition as, for example, Àlex Crivillé did for winning the 500cc World Championship in 1999.

“MotoGP attracts the most attention; it’s the benchmark championship in Spain and has always had a much larger fan base,” says Checa. “The World Superbike Championship was something completely different. But I think, back when I was competing there, it was a championship of a very high standard. I competed against some very well-known and influential riders. Winning that championship was very satisfying for me personally and felt like a reward for my long career.”