View Carlos Checa
Carlos Checa
By Gregg Leary
Category:Moto Racing
DOB: 10-15-72 (35)
Barcelona, Spain
WSBK (Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade)
Hannspree Ten Kate Honda (replaces 2007 Champ James Toseland)
2nd in WSBK Points
-78 to Troy Bayliss
4 Podiums in 2008
2nd in Australia Race 2
3rd in Spain Race 2
2nd and 3rd in Netherlands
Grand Prix Career (125, 250, 500, MotoGP)
220 Starts (192 MotoGP/500cc, 27 250cc, 1 125cc)
2 Wins (1996 500cc Catalan GP, 1998 500cc Madrid GP)
24 Podiums
3 Poles
5 Fastest Laps
4-6-08 Checa takes out Max Neukirchner on the last corner of the last lap at Valencia Race 1. Checa got up and finished 5th in Race 1 and 3rd in Race 2. His frequent crashes have earned him the unflattering nickname, “Charley Chucker” for “chucking” his own and sometimes other rider’s bikes onto the asphalt
Was Valentino Rossi’s teammate at Yamaha in 2004.
In 2007 on the LCR Honda RC212V, in MotoGP… Checa dwarfed the bike…and branded it “the worst bike I’ve ever raced.” He finished 14th in Points.
*******After riding a factory FireBlade Superbike to a pole and 2nd place finish in the 2007 Suzuka 8 Hour Endurance race, Checa made up his mind to race WSBK in 2008.*****
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In 1998 he suffered serious injury in a crash at Donington Park (ruptured spleen )…lost his vision and suffered partial paralysis for 19 Hours. Was back racing in 7 weeks.
His dad broke his leg on a motorcycle rushing to the hospital where Carlos was about to be born.
Started riding at Age 9
Dropped out of mechanical engineering to race.