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TOOELE — Shaking off the disappointment of the previous year, when mechanical problems kept him off the winner's podium, Spain's Carlos Checa captured both World Superbike races Monday afternoon at Miller Motorsports Park.
Checa, the season leader in the FIM Superbike world standings, ran two near-perfect races, beating Jakub Smrz of the Czech Republic by 2.766 seconds in the first race and speeeding past Great Britain's Leon Camier by more than seven seconds in the second race.
"Last year we had some problems, but we've already forgot," Checa said. "It was not easy — the conditions were not perfect, but we were able to adapt. The bike was running so well, especially in race two. It was fantastic."
Rain had plagued the three-day Big M Weekend event, including a downpour on Sunday during the qualifying races. However, despite temperatures hovering around 50 degrees most of the day on Monday, the rain stayed away except for a few drops between races.
The only mistake Checa made all day came during his victory lap after the first race, when he slid off the course into the mud while trying to grab a flag and got stuck. He had to have his bike towed out and then ride piggyback on another bike back to the podium.
Checa, who won both races at MMR in 2008, led both races again last year before seeing his bike quit on him. In the first, he led for 17 laps when his bike stopped with less than four laps left. He changed bikes, but after leading for seven laps in the second race, his bike quit on him again.
In race No. 1 on Monday, Checa sat back in fourth or fifth place in the early going, moved up to second by lap 4 and grabbed the lead for good in lap 5. He increased his lead by about a half second per lap until he got up to nearly a 6-second lead, before easing off a bit toward the end.
"It's a great feeling to finish ... in first," said Checa, who paused after saying "finish," alluding to what happened last year.
Italy's Max Biaggi, who won both major races at MMR in 2010, went down near the end of the first lap of the first race after a collision with Jonathan Rea, which sent both men flying into the mud off the edge of the track.
Another crash on lap 3 between Michel Fabrizio and Ruben Xaus was more spectacular, but neither rider was injured.
Sylvain Guintoli of France earned a spot on the podium with Smrz by finishing third in the first race, 4.093 seconds behind Checa.
In the second race, 31/2 hours after the first, Checa jumped out from the start and led the entire race, increasing his lead to five seconds after eight laps and to seven seconds by the 16th lap.
Camier of Great Britain finished second, 7.164 seconds behind, while Biaggi rebounded from his wipeout in the first race to finish third, 8.734 seconds off the lead.
The best race of the day was the AMA Pro National Guard Superbike event in between the two main races, featuring the top American riders.
Three racers — Blake Young, Josh Hayes and Tommy Hayden — jockeyed back and forth for several laps and were bunched together well ahead of the pack for the last six laps of the 16-lap race.
Hayes led nearly the entire race before Young overtook him at the start of the final lap and won by just 0.757 over Hayes and by 0.816 over Hayden.
"It was a great day and a lot of fun," said Young. "I'm happy to pull off the win for my guys."
