Carlos Checa cited a lack of grip for recording a pair of anonymous fifth place finishes in the latest World Superbike round at the Nurburgring.
Heading to Germany on a high after triumphing twice in the USA, Checa was hoping to use the return to Europe as an opportunity to close the gap down to arch-rival
Troy Bayliss in the championship standings.
However, despite a superb Superpole lap that placed him third on the grid, Checa could not translate that pace into the races, eventually finding himself on the cusp of the leading riders in both races and having to settle for two fifth place finishes.
That, he claims, was due to an inability to find the right set-up around the circuit, an issue that he adds almost caused him to retire on more than one occasion.
”We didn't find the right grip here this weekend. We have been working on the setup of the bike to find a better grip, especially in the rear, but didn't manage. We were on good pace with the qualifier, but on the race tire we used here this weekend we couldn't find enough grip.”
“We made some rather big changes to the set up for the second race. I started well and chased the front group, but wasn't able to keep up with their speed. I had to get off the gas a couple of times to prevent the bike from high-siding. We have done our best. We just didn't find the same level of grip as our competitors.”
Checa remains second in the rider standings, 39 points adrift of Bayliss, but Max Neukirchner and
Noriyuki Haga have now closed the gap just behind as they head to Misano for the next round.
