Pramac Racing today (Monday, October 25th) confirmed that Carlos Checa will ride for them in the final two rounds of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship at Estoril and Valencia. The 38 year-old Spaniard replaces Finnish rider Mika Kallio, who decided following the previous round in Australia to end his partnership with the team early as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury.
Checa, who last rode in the World Championship in the 2007 Valencia GP and who finished third in this year’s WSBK championship on a Ducati 1098R, told motogp.com of his excitement at his participation in the upcoming two races.
“I’ll take it as an opportunity. I want to use this to gain experience and enjoy it too. My sole aim is to adapt as quickly as I can,” said Checa, who tested the Desmosedici GP10 at Mugello a fortnight ago. “It’s a great challenge. I’ve only been able to do a small test at Mugello and the people I will be up against in these two races will have had 16 races this season. They’ll know the tyres, which I won’t, and obviously the bikes they’re riding.”
Comparing his previous experience in MotoGP to the development of the current 800cc machines, Checa said of the GP10: “The bike has great power, the tyres have improved greatly especially the rear ones. And of course the electronics now play a bigger role. It’s very rewarding to be able to ride one of the best bikes in the World Championship after riding one of the best in superbikes this season.”
He continued: “I don’t know what level I’ll be at or what I’ll find. I just want to feel like I’ve given my maximum whatever happens. But we will take as much as possible from it and I’m sure we’ll take something good.”
Team Manager Paolo Campinoti added: “After Mika Kallio’s decision to not take part in the last two races we decided to call on a rider with experience and talent that could give us a good end to the season. Thanks also to consultations with Ducati, we decided on Carlos Checa. Of course it will be important for him to get as much time as possible on the Estoril track during the free practice sessions so that he can improve his feeling with the bike. We know about his undoubted talent and potential, and this is why we expect a good result in both races.”
Checa will ride with the number 71 on his livery for the remaining rounds of the campaign.
Source: http://www.motogp.com