Carlos Checa was delighted with his performance in the Superpole for the latest round of the World Superbike Championship at the Nurburgring after vaulting up from 12th to third on the grid.
The Ten Kate Honda rider has looked somewhat out of sorts this weekend, particularly next to
Troy Bayliss and Max Neukirchner, and he left himself plenty of work to do when he could only manage 12th place in provisional qualifying.
As one of the first drivers to set a time in Superpole, Checa was not expected to be challenging for pole position but when he lowered his best lap by almost two seconds, he stayed at the top of the timesheets all the way until penultimate rider Max Neukirchner usurped him.
While Troy Bayliss also dipped below his marker, Checa had still done enough to book a spot on the front row of the grid, a result the Spaniard was thrilled with given his struggles so far this weekend.
"We struggled through the qualifying and couldn't find enough grip,” he said. “Finally I was able to improve on the qualifier in the second free practice session. When I went out on my Superpole lap my focus was sharp and concentrated hard on improving.
"I thought I would drop down the field with some fast riders still having to ride their lap. Haga was going to take pole but he made some mistakes. Max
“When my mechanic told me my lap time I was happy to take more then a second off the fastest time. I am excited about the improvement and feel confident for tomorrow's race."
