Carlos Checa is just three points away from claiming the 2011 World Superbike Championship. The Althea Ducati rider will get his chance to secure the WSBK crown this weekend as the series heads to France for the penultimate round of the season.
Marco Melandri is the only rider that can keep Checa from claiming the championship next weekend, but the odds are strongly stocked in Checa's favor. The Ducati rider has a 97 point lead at the moment, and if he leaves France with more than 50 points over Melandri, he'll be crowned the 2011 champion.
So unless Melandri takes both wins, and Checa fails to finish both races, the Althea Ducati rider is the 2011 Champion. But that doesn't mean that Checa isn't going to try to take two more wins at Magny Cours.
"We are going to Magny-Cours where we want to make two good races, top level races," Checa said. "The track is not particularly favourable to us but we'll be giving it our all and we'll see.
"We've demonstrated our potential all year long and I really don‟t want Sunday to be a celebratory walk in the park. I prefer to work hard as we have done every weekend, because this is the best way to receive the title. I am expecting an unforgettable day but the prize should be awarded for a year's worth of hard work, by the entire team. We have a great package and so I would like to accept the trophy in the correct way, which means that we'll continue to give 100% until the very
end."
