The start of race one of Phillip Island's double-header on Sunday was blighted by, not one, but two incidents, leaving several riders to continue their weekend carrying bumps and bruises and others, like Vittorio Iannuzzo, facing time on the sidelines.
Like Iannuzzo,
Carlos Checa was an innocent victim of the incidents, the Spaniard being unceremoniously dumped on the tarmac at Lukey Heights after he reacted to a red flag shown for the earlier start-line crash that involved his Italian rival and Ducati's
Michel Fabrizio.
Not slowing as quickly as Checa, a chasing rider - thought to have been Russell Holland - cannoned into the back of the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda, flipping its former
MotoGP pilot out of the saddle, and forcing a second Ten Kate machine, ridden by
Ryuichi Kiyonari to take avoiding action across the grassy plunge alongside the track.
Although he received attention at trackside, Checa was deemed fit enough to ride in the restarted race, and subsequently went on to reward the Ten Kate team with its first podium of the year, when he battled through to second place in race two.
For more images of Checa's unplanned tumble, click here.
