After yesterday’s superb Superpole victory, expectations were high for good results today and Carlos Checa made his intentions clear by making a good start in the first of the two 22-lap races. At the end of the first lap, he was in third place before forcing his way into second spot after five laps. From then on he was locked in a battle for a podium place with Haslam and Melandri and although he could catch and pass his rivals on the brakes and in the turns, he was losing out on the straights. Trying to pass Melandri on the brakes going into Siberia, Carlos inadvertently clipped the back end of the Italian’s BMW, causing both to crash.
Melandri was OK, but Carlos suffered concussion and taken to the Medical Centre for further checks. Whilst there, he recovered sufficiently to be able to speak though he couldn’t remember the crash. Although Carlos appeared not to have broken any bones, it was decided that he should be transferred to Melbourne hospital for further checks and an overnight stay as a precautionary measure. It is expected that he will be released tomorrow.
Francis Batta (Team Owner)
“To win Superpole yesterday at the first race with this new bike was an excellent result and a testimony to all the hard work everybody has put in. It’s clear that our bike is down on speed compared to our competitors, so Carlos has been having to make up for that on the brakes and in the turns. We need to improve our speed so that Carlos and Ayrton can compete with our rivals. This bike is very new for all of us, but we are working as hard as we can and making progress every time we go out on the track. I’m sure we will keep improving and be in a good position to challenge for podiums next time out.”
Conditions: Dry, sunny/cloudy 27C (air), 47C (track)
