I kind of watched the race in fast forward because I had work, Checa was doing well until he crashed. Especially the way he went around the BMW in the early part of the race, how come they didn't race in the second race?
Think he was out cold for a fair time and remembers nothing of the crash. Good job its 6 weeks til the next one eh ;-)
I'm struggling to see the fuss. Pole on it's first outing, running in third before the crash, two tenth places for the second string rider (who, let's be honest, has never stood out as a great). It all looks perfectly reasonable for a first outing to me. If the first race is a barometer, nothing is going to catch the Aprilias - it's their season - but line up the Pani against the BMW or the Kawasaki or the Honda and it's all looking pretty good. Now they, and the other teams, have to work out what the hell they're going to do about those bloody Aprilias...
So do I. But there is no getting away from it: I don't find it gorgeous. It's way too pointy in a modern idiom. Just doesn't look anything special.
Checa has been traditional good at Phillip Island. Although one race doesnt make a season, its certainly a promising start
Philip Island Race 1 [SBK] 2013 Round01 Phillip Island Race01 [RELOAD] - YouTube Race 2 [SBK] 2013 Round01 Phillip Island Race02 - YouTube
