Carlos Checa crash and race winner at Phillip Island

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Carlos Checa comes away from the opening round of his World Superbike Championship defence at Phillip Island celebrating a 21st career win, but also nursing some bruises after a spectacular crash in race one.

Coming into race day keen to give his title challenge the best possible start, Checa looked every inch the rider that dominated in 2011 as he quickly worked his way to the front of the field in race one.

However, just as he was coming under pressure from Biaggi on lap five, Checa pushed too hard out of the final bend and was flung into a spectacular high-side, a fast crash that he admits is the worst he has experienced since joining Ducati in 2009.

Carlos Checa crash at Phillip Island

“In race one I had the worst crash that I've ever had with the Ducati. I was under pressure and pushed a little too hard. It's extremely difficult to find the exact limit with the bike, the track, and with myself and today I exceeded that limit and fell.

Unhurt in the high-speed accident, Checa dusted himself off for race two and, assisted by Biaggi's off at the first corner, proceeded to make amends with a fairly comfortable win.

“The team made a fantastic job of preparing a bike that allowed me to win in race two. In that race, I started strong and when I saw that Max had gone off track, I pushed hard to get ahead and win the race. Max made a good recovery but I was able to maintain a strong pace and bring home what is a very important win for me and for the team.”

Scoring 25 points for his troubles, Checa ends the weekend fourth in the standings, 20 points adrift of early leader Biaggi.

Read Jed Metcher race report from Phillip Island.

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Motogp HRC: 1000cc power only unleashed in 5th and 6th gears

HRC executive vice president Shuhei Nakamoto believes the biggest difference with the new 1000cc MotoGP bikes will only be felt in fifth and sixth gears.

“Even with the 800cc we had to reduce the power up to fourth gear,” he said. “So compared with the 800, with the 1000cc we have more power in fifth and sixth gear.

“Straight-line speed is a bit faster, but time gained is only in fifth and sixth gear acceleration. And because top speed is higher you must brake sooner.

“Cornering performance depends on chassis and tyres, which are not so different to 800cc, although the weight has increased. Of course, I expect the lap time to be better than the 800, but not a big difference.”

During the opening test of 2012, at Sepang, Honda's reigning world champion Casey Stoner dipped slightly under his best 800cc lap time from last year's winter tests. Further lap time improvements are expected in the second test later this month.

No official top speeds were recorded at Sepang, but the Hondas were said to be fastest through unofficial speed traps set up by some teams.

Yamaha's 2010 world champion Jorge Lorenzo has expressed concerns about the increase in top speeds with 1000cc bikes, but seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi thinks the risk is minimal.

“At the fast tracks the top speed will be quite impressive, but I don't think it will be more dangerous,” said the Ducati rider.

The highest official MotoGP top speed is 349.3km/h (217.1mph) by Dani Pedrosa during practice for the 2009 Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. Pedrosa was riding an 800cc RC212V.

The highest top speed of the previous 990cc bikes was 343.3km/h (213.6mph) by Honda's Makoto Tamada, during qualifying at China's Shanghai circuit in 2006.

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Protective Motorcycle Back Protector, Armour and Accessories.

Motorcycle Back Protector

Impact protectors are shields worn inside clothing to spread the force of an impact. They can reduce the risk of fractures and joint damage and should be worn on the elbows, shoulders, hips and knees. Check inside garments before you buy. Do not confuse comfort padding or foam with genuine impact protectors.

Look for the CE 1621-1, which means they comply with the European Standard. This does not necessarily mean that other impact protectors will not work as well, but without the CE mark, you have no way of knowing. Under the European Standard, the test of an impact protector involves a 5 kilo weight being dropped from a height of 1 metre. If your gear does not contain genuine impact protectors, it is easy to replace them with CE marked protectors, which are quite inexpensive to buy separately.

Back protectors

A motorcycle back protector can provide protection from direct impacts to the spine. However it cannot protect riders from serious spinal injuries which are caused by twisting forces on other parts of the body.

The number of the European Standard for back protectors is CE 1621-2.

Motorcycle Accessories

Berik Dainese Alpinestars Rs Taichi all make motorcycle gear and motorcycle impact protectors that meet the high standards along with adding comfort and support. Most of these can be worn inside your motorcycle leathers relatively easily, adding extra protection.

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Haslam and Melandri at BMW in 2012

Leon Haslam believes the arrival of Marco Melandri will be a positive boost for both himself and BMW as he begins his preparations for the 2012 World Superbike Championship season.

Haslam, runner-up with Suzuki in 2010, scored three podium finishes on the way to fifth place in the final standings, but struggled to be a consistent front-runner aboard the temperamental BMW S1000RR.

However, Haslam is feeling confident about his chances ahead of 2012, insisting BMW has implemented many of the changes he felt were required to make the bike a stronger package.

He is also pleased to have a strong team-mate in Melandri, the Italian, who finished second to Carlos Chec last season, switching to BMW following Yamaha's withdrawal from the series

"I have known him for years and he used to live nearby me in England," he said. "We used to ride motocross together as well. I am happy to have Marco as a team-mate. The opinions he has given about the bike are the same ones I had last year. Marco brings a lot of experience and it is good to have a fast team-mate as well."

"We have got a lot of the changes to the bike that we were asking for year last year, some new staff and a new structure. I still have my crew chief Giacomo Guidotti, plus two new mapping and data analysis guys, Bruno and Stefano. The main factors we have improved with the package are electronics, engine management and machine rideability."

Having made a handful of post-season test outings last year, Haslam will return to the track next week at Valencia before flying out to Australia to prepare for the opening round of the season.

"We are going to Europe to test next week, at Valencia, then we will be heading to Australia for some track time with lots of other teams, and then the official tests before the first race. The testing ban has made it a very long winter so I am really eager to get back into it again."

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Marc Márquez out of Jerez test

Marc Márquez will not take part in the Moto2 tests to be held in Jerez Circuit from Wednesday to Friday. After the last medical checks —made last Thursday in Barcelona by Dr. Jordi Arruga, neuro-ophtalmologist of the Instituto Catalán de la Retina—, the decision was taken for Márquez not to join the tests, as he is not yet fully recovered from the sight problem he suffers since his crash in the first free practice of the Malaysian Grand Prix last October 21st.

Following an evaluation of Alpinestars Repsol rider’s ocular damage, Dr. Arruga confirmed that despite having greatly improved, Márquez will not be fully recover to take part in the next three days of tests.

Emilio Alzamora, knowing that the injury needs a recovery time, commented that “We cannot estimate how much time Marc will need to be completely recovered, although the healing of the injury has been positive, as Dr. Arruga informed us. So right now we need to be patient”.

Resource:

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2011/marquez+out+in+jerez+test

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