Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri both ended the World Superbike season with one final victory. Checa, who clinched the 2011 World Superbike championship at Magny Cours, edged out Sylvain Guintoli in the first race at Portimao, while the Yamaha duo of Melandri and Eugene Laverty ended the season with a 1-2 finish in race two.
In race one, Sylvain Guintoli lead the way for the majority of the race, but Checa was able to make a final pass with just a few laps remaining to claim his 15th win of the season.
This victory is for the team that has truly deserved it this weekend. I dedicate this win to all of them," Checa said.
Eugene Laverty lead the way in race two, but he couldn't hold off a late charge from his Yamaha teammate. Jonathan Rea also found his way into the mix upfront, but Rea couldn't keep pace with the two Yamaha and finished more than a second behind Melandri.
Melandri's victory puts him at 395 points, well behind Checa's season total of 505, but well ahead of third and fourth place finishers Max Biaggi and Eugene Laverty. Biaggi and Laverty both ended the season with 303 points.
