Even so, with fourth position in the standings, Checa ended the season as the top Superbike 'rookie' and he even earned a ticket back into the MotoGP fray with the stillborn Aspar project before penning an extension to remain with Ten Kate.
All in all then, it was good year for Checa… so why has he been voted in three positions lower than where he finished? His 'error' at Valencia could very well answer that question.
Indeed, Checa never quite shook off the stigma from his misdemeanour in Spain when a desperate move on Max Neukirchner at the final corner of the last lap resulted in them both coming down. It was particularly galling for Neukirchner, though, as the accident denied him a maiden win having led from the start, and even broke his collarbone.
It means Checa sits in the lower reaches of your top ten for now. Nonetheless, as a favourite for the 2009 title, he may well feature higher next year…
7th – Carlos Checa
8th – Max Biaggi
9th – Jakub Smrz
10th – Michel Fabrizio
Tomorrow: Who will be number six in the WSBK Rider of the Year poll?
