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Carlos Checa - In profile Jan 10th, 2002 |
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Carlos Checa - In profile Jan 10th, 2002 |
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Carlos Checa is a rider with his mind firmly
set on the future. The affable Spaniard is one of the biggest fans of the
new four-stroke MotoGP class which this year becomes bike racing's premier
category. He has grown to love four-strokes over the past few years after
converting a Yamaha R1 streetbike for the racetrack. The fun that Checa derived from training on the R1 is now being put to serious use, for he contests the 2002 season aboard Yamaha's all-new YZR-M1 four-stroke. He rides the awesome 200 horsepower machine for the Marlboro Yamaha Team, with whom he's had an up and down three seasons riding YZR500 two-strokes. Checa finished last year's final 500 World Championship in sixth place after challenging for the title during the previous season. One of GP racing's most genial and smiling exponents, Checa enjoys a pop star's profile in his home country, where motorcycle racing is the most popular sport after football. He made his debut in the premier 500cc class midway through '95, substituting for an injured team-mate after working his way to the top via 125 and 250 GPs. He was immediately competitive, guaranteeing himself a full-time 500 ride for the following year, during which he took his first GP victory. Away from racing Checa prefers the quiet life, naming reading and trekking amongst his favourite interests, but his on-track style is awe-inspiring to behold. His technique is all-action and gloriously violent, pushing the front and rear tyres to the very limit of adhesion. His willingness to attack at all times has made him hugely popular with fans who appreciate his commitment and aggression. Like most successful sportsmen, Checa was enamoured with his sport from an early age. His father - also a keen motorcyclist until he broke a leg while rushing to the hospital where Carlos was about to be born - bought him his first bike at the age of nine. Three years later his grandfather gave him a Derbi 80 motocrosser and three years after that he had his first street bike, a Honda NSR75. Checa soon became a keen spectator at local racetracks and, like so many youngsters, began to emulate his heroes on the street. After several brushes with the law his father suggested he channel his energies into racing. He made his debut at local track Can Padro during the summer of '89 and tumbled out of his first race. Helped by an enthusiastic gang of friends, Checa quickly improved. During 1990 he swapped the NSR for a Spanish-made Rieju 80 and won the national Criterium title. He also made a clean sweep of the local Catalan series, taking pole position, victory and fastest lap at every round. In '92 Checa quit his mechanical engineering studies to contest the 125 European Championship. He set out across Europe with a van and a home-tuned Honda RS125 - a big adventure for the wide-eyed teenager and his mates. He rode well and learned plenty, ending the year eighth overall. The following year he concentrated his efforts on the high-profile Spanish Open series, finishing an impressive third overall. His breakthrough ride came at the European GP at his local Catalunya track, where he finished seventh after a long tussle with multi-World Champion Jorge Martinez. That result won him the attention of several teams and a few months later he was called up by an Italian 250 team, taking two points-scoring finishes. Those rides scored him a full-time 250 GP deal with the team. During '94 Checa proved a fast and reliable GP apprentice aboard his RS250, ending the year 12th and top non-factory rider. By now it was obvious to racing's movers and shakers that Checa was something special. Former World Champion Sito Pons certainly thought so, inviting the youngster to ride one of his team's Honda NSR500s at Spain's non-championship Superprestigio event. First time out on the bike Checa was lightning fast and Pons offered him factory Honda NSR250s for '95. Now it seemed nothing could stop him. And yet this was to be his most
disappointing season. Checa struggled to communicate with the various
specialists within the large team structure. Unable to get comfortable
with his bike and tyres, he was a frequent faller. Eventually he did get
the chassis to his liking and signalled his new-found confidence with an
excellent fourth place at Le Mans. But events were already overtaking him.
His 500 team-mate Alberto Puig had crashed at speed during Le Mans
practice, badly breaking a leg and Checa was chosen as substitute. It was immediately apparent that Checa was naturally suited to a 500 - he felt totally at home with the immense power output. Sure, he had fallen at Catalunya but his stunning speed proved he was worthy of a permanent berth in the elite class and he lined up for '96 alongside the recovering Puig. The year went well, though not quite fulfilling his earliest promise. He scored his first podium in Malaysia, then gradually succumbed to the gruelling toll of week-in, week-out 500 riding. But by the time the GP circus returned to Catalunya, Checa had found the speed he had been looking for. He won the race ahead of champ Mick Doohan and was greeted atop the podium by King Juan Carlos. His second 500 season should have been a year of real progress, and in a way it was. On average his results were much better - three seconds, a fourth and four sixths - but he crashed out of five GPs and finished eighth overall again. Nevertheless Checa came out fighting in '98. A superb win at Madrid and podium results in Malaysia and France put him in a strong position to challenge for the title. Then it all went wrong at Donington, where he fell at speed, suffering internal injuries including a ruptured spleen. While recovering in hospital he suffered a relapse, losing his sight and suffering partial paralysis for several hours. Within seven weeks he was racing again, taking a heroic seventh place at the Czech GP. Checa's '99 season showed flashes of brilliance and an amazing ability to bounce back from tumbles. First time out for the Marlboro Yamaha Team in Malaysia he was a superb second, but for much of the remainder of the year he was deeply involved with adapting his YZR500s to his style. He suffered several crashes, although his worst injury all season was a cracked finger. On various occasions it seemed Checa had made the crucial breakthrough on machine set-up, only for ill luck to conspire against him. In Germany he was just a fraction of a second off another podium finish and he took two more fourth-place finishes as his confidence improved. His 2000 season started brilliantly. Checa took three runner-up results from the first four GPs to lead the World Championship. He stayed in contention for the title until a mid-season tumble in Germany left him concussed and lacking confidence. Over the next few races he struggled to get back up to speed, though he was looking faster and faster at season's end. He led the Australian finale but crashed out, the DNF relegating him to sixth overall. Checa also slid off during the first race of 2001 but proved his tenacity by remounting to finish tenth. He then missed the next race after sustaining injuries in a training accident but came back to score a brilliant second place at the French GP, behind team-mate Max Biaggi. He repeated that result with another fine ride to second in Germany, where he gave the Marlboro Yamaha Team its second one-two of 2001. And he ended the last-ever 500 season with a stirring ride to second at Rio, just a fraction behind World Champion Valentino Rossi (Honda). Away from the racetrack Checa is very keen on the great outdoors, counting trekking, snowboarding, cross-country skiing and mountain biking and the occasional parajump amongst his off-track interests. FAST FACTS
RACE CAREER - As of January 2002
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January 2002 Question & Answer session with Checa - Yamaha's YZR-M1
FREE classifieds - Late Braking News - 2002 New Bike Catalogue
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