Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) and Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) traded wins at the final round of the Superbike World Championship in Portugal in a day that promised and delivered close racing in hot weather conditions in front of an 86,000 crowd.

Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati rider Sylvain Guintoli almost gave the new-for-2011 team its first race win in race one, but Checa prevailed at the end.

Checa’s championship season win tally now ends on 15, part of a total of 21 podiums in 26 races, with six pole positions and 11 fastest laps. His points total reached over the 500 mark today, with his final tally 505 – the second highest ever in a single WSBK season.

Behind Carlos, the fight for second had already been already decided in Melandri’s favour but his determination to succeed in race two underlined how much his presence has brought to the series this year.

Melandri has now scored four race wins in his rookie WSBK season, as part of a total of 15 podium places.

The fight for third place looked set to swing in favour of Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team) when Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) qualified only 17th, but after Laverty no scored in race one the 2010 champion did just enough today to secure third.

Biaggi finished on the same 303 points as Laverty, but with better results in the count back of podium places. They had tied on race wins, having scored two each, but Biaggi had far more second places than Laverty – nine to Laverty’s three.

Tissot-Superpole winner Jonathan Rea (Castrol Honda) continued his remarkable turnaround of late season form with two third places today and ninth overall.

Leon Haslam had a tough final day for the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team, scoring ninth and 15th places, but still ending up fifth in the championship, the top S1000RR rider of the year.

WSBK legend Troy Corser signed off his career today, riding a specially painted racebike to signify this momentous day for the former double champion.

Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team) was on good form and equalled his season best finish of fifth in race one, then scored eighth place to finish top Kawasaki finisher, 11th overall.

Michel Fabrizio (Suzuki Alstare) went 11th and 14th in Portugal, and was 12th in the championship standings.

Chaz Davies (Yamaha ParkinGO) scored his sixth World Supersport win of the year, from the closing David Salom (Kawasaki Motocard.com) and one-time second place rider James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda).

The top three were within 1.415 seconds of each other. Luca Scassa (Yamaha ParkinGO) slotted his R6 into fourth place, 5.522 seconds from his team-mate and the 2011 champion Davies.

Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) and Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com) no scored after a crash for Lowes and a collision with Gino Rea (Step Racing Honda) for Parkes.

Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) finished 12th, and thus Salom finishes second in the championship on the day he celebrated his 27th birthday. The final points read Davies 206, Salom 156, Foret 148 and Parkes 136.

In Superstock 1000, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Ducati) secured the final win of the year in a race shortened to 11 laps after a technical issue with the starting lights.

A distant second place went to Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock) after a close fight with Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki Lorenzini by Leoni) and fourth placed Bryan Staring (Kawasaki Pedercini Team).

The absence of champion Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing) – who stepped up to the Superbike class today – means that Giugliano finishes his stellar year with an unchanged 171 points, Petrucci now has 169, Lorenzo Zanetti (BMW Motorrad Italia Superstock) 148 and Barrier 132.

Dutchman Michael vd Mark (Ten Kate Honda Junior Team) did all he could to win the Superstock 600 championship at the final round, but despite his race victory Australian Jed Metcher (MTM-RT Motorsports Yamaha) secured his first title in this division, finishing fourth in today’s contest.

Second in the race and the championship was American rider Joshua Day (Revolution Racedays Kawasaki), with van der Mark finishing third in the final points, with only one less than Day.

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