Checa now trails Troy Bayliss by 28 points in the riders standings

Carlos Checa claimed his first World Superbike victories in 10 years as he capitalised on Troy Bayliss' misfortune in Salt Lake City.

The Spaniard won race one ahead of Troy Corser, after starting on pole for the first time since his move from MotoGP.

Bayliss failed to finish after an early fall and mechanical problems also saw him drop out of the points in race two.

In that race Checa finished ahead of Max Neukirchner to clinch a weekend double at the Miller Motorsports Park.

Going into the weekend Honda rider Checa trailed 39-year-old Australian Bayliss by 70 points in the riders standings, but his double victory sees him close the gap to just 28.

They were his first wins since his 1998 triumph in the Madrid Grand Prix.

"It's been a fantastic moment to take a double win here in the USA," Checa said.

"The last time I won a race was 10 years ago - these are my first wins outside my homeland Spain.

"I now have the taste for victory. I hope we can continue working the way we did today."

The 35-year-old added: "At the start of the race I had some problems with my number one bike and had to use the other one.

"I think I had a good start, but then saw the other riders in front of me and I knew I had to work hard.

"When I saw Neukirchner in front I knew I could overtake him and take the lead.

"At the end of the race Corser was catching up on me and I had to stay focused and improve my pace."

Race one results:

1 Carlos Checa (Spa) Honda 37mins 04.991secs
2 Troy Corser (Aus) Yamaha 37:07.800
3 Michel Fabrizio (Ita) Ducati 37:11.537
4 Max Neukirchner (Ger) Suzuki 37:12.755
5 Fonsi Nieto (Spa) Suzuki 37:21.466
6 Jakub Smrz (Cze) Ducati 37:22.117
7 Karl Muggeridge (Aus) Honda 37:22.275
8 Yukio Kagayama (Jpn) Suzuki 37:22.407
9 Max Biaggi (Ita) Ducati 37:23.108
10 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Jpn) Honda 37:25.458

Race two results:

1 Carlos Checa (Spa) Honda 38mins 44.105secs
2 Max Neukirchner (Ger) Suzuki 38:47.652
3 Michel Fabrizio (Ita) Ducati 38:50.718
4 Max Biaggi (Ita) Ducati 38:51.983
5 Yukio Kagayama (Jpn) Suzuki 38:54.673
6 Noriyuki Haga (Jpn) Yamaha 38:55.644
7 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Jpn) Honda 39:02.486
8 Fonsi Nieto (Spa) Suzuki 39:04.751
9 Regis Laconi (Fra) Kawasaki 39:05.369
10 Lorenzo Lanzi (Ita) Ducati 39:08.968

World Superbikes rider standings:

1 Troy Bayliss (Aus) Ducati 194pts
2 Carlos Checa (Spa) Honda 166
3 Max Neukirchner (Ger) Suzuki 144
4 Fonsi Nieto (Spa) Suzuki 126
5 Noriyuki Haga (Jpn) Yamaha 122
6 Troy Corser (Aus) Yamaha 121
7 Ruben Xaus (Spa) Ducati 92
8 Michel Fabrizio (Ita) Ducati 87
9 Max Biaggi (Ita) Ducati 85
10 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Jpn) Honda 80

Manufacturers's championship standings:

1 Ducati 249pts
2 Yamaha 201
3 Suzuki 191
4 Honda 185
5 Kawasaki 51