Checa: I took attention while overtaking Max...

The Spaniard gave himself plenty of work to do in both races at the historic Dutch circuit which team manager Ronald ten Kate colourfully describes as their "back garden!"

The Barcelona rider was as low as seventh in the first race and eighth in the second before flying through the field on the white and lime green Honda to score a double podium.

Many former GP riders have had the same slow-starting trouble when transferring to Superbike. Alex Barros was always giving himself plenty to do with bad starts and Max Biaggi suffered the same fate in his first year in WSBK last year.

Checa has proved his pace now though and looks to be, with Haga, the man most likely to beat Troy Bayliss and win races this year.

"The first race was very special riding close with Max," admitted Checa. "When I came to pass him it sure brought back thoughts of Valencia!

"I took attention while overtaking him but Troy had already secured a firm lead. He was too strong today and there was no way to fight and overtake him here."

Checa's team mate Ryuichi Kiyonari is quietly going about his business in the WSBK paddock. Learning about new tyres and many new circuits, the Japanese riders pace is without question.

His luck though here was a little rough and a bike problem forced the double British champion out of race two after a steady seventh in race one.

"A steering damper clamp broke," revealed Kiyonari. "I don't know why this happened but it meant I had to stop.

"My riding style means I push the front tyre, this was hampering me in race one so for race two we made a change and it was much better.

"I was able to set very good lap times and this gives me much confidence that I made a good choice."

Sadly the teams third rider Kenan Sofuoglu suffered a miserable weekend at a track where he was planning on making a real push for good results.

The Turk has struggled to adapt to the Superbike far more than he or his team expected and at a track he dominated last year on a 600 he managed only a 12th place in race one.

"My first race was acceptable, but the second was a disaster," admitted Kenan. "I was expecting to go a lot better at this track but was not able to succeed.

"There is no problem with the bike, everything seems to be fine. I just don't have an answer as to why I am riding like this."

Team boss Ronald ten Kate though can see where his riders need to improve, especially Checa.

"His biggest problem still seems to lie in the early part of the race where we have a lack of speed. We can make up ground later on but lose too much time early on.

Ten Kate managed a one two in the Superport race that will have made up for the disappointments of Kiyonari and Sofuoglu and also their young Superstock rider Maxim Berger won his first race of the year.