TOOELE — Fortune is smiling on Carlos Checa once again in Utah.
Checa claimed the superpole position for the second time in three years during qualifying for the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship at Miller Motorsports Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Spanish racer posted a fast lap of 1 minute, 47.081 seconds on the third and final superpole heat to claim the starting position in both of the main races scheduled for this afternoon.
Checa said past experience on the 3.048 mile course ended up being a difference maker for him during qualifying.
"I know this track and I really like this track," Checa said. "I've always had success here. I've always ridden well."
History is on Checa's side to keep the momentum going. He claimed just his second career superpole position on Sunday. Checa claimed his first two years ago — also at Miller Motorsports Park.
That set the stage for him to sweep both races — making him the winner in the debut of World Superbike Championship racing in Utah.
Winning pole position on his Ducati 1098R took Checa a little by surprise mainly because he felt like his lap time would not be fast enough after seeing his times from the first two heats.
"I didn't expect to have this lap time and to win the pole," Checa said.
Italian racer Max Biaggi, British racer Cal Critchlow and Czech racer Jakub Smrz claimed the remaining front row starting positions for today's two races.
A pair of crashes brought out the red flag during the third and final superpole qualifying heat. British racer Jonathan Rea and Smrz both took major spills off their motorcycles barely a minute apart.
Rea, riding a Honda CBR1000RR, crashed when the rear end of his bike spun around and ejected him off the front. The motorcycle then flew just inches over Rea's body as he slid down the track. He was not seriously injured and returned to claim a seventh-place finish.
Smrz, riding a Ducati 1098R, flipped over the front end of his bike and landed hard on his hip. He also returned and ultimately claimed the fourth spot in the superpole qualifying.
A day earlier, Smrz set a lap record at Miller Motorsports Park when he posted a top lap time of 1:48.517 and a top speed of 101.151 miles per hour. Both marks bested records set by 2009 series champion Ben Spies, who posted a top time of 1:48.768 and a top speed of 100.917 miles per hour.
Smrz's record stood for barely a day before Checa eclipsed it.
One support race crowned a winner on Sunday afternoon when Jimmy Wood claimed the top spot in the GTU class of the Lucas Oil Superbike Challenge.
Wood beat second-place finisher Taylor Knapp by 2.685 seconds and finished the nine-lap race in 18:40.220. Not only did he win the GTU race, but the Redlands, Calif., resident also posted the best individual lap time among the field of 33 racers by a completing a lap in 1:54.478.
GTU pole winner Geoff May ended up finishing third overall after coming in 5.077 seconds behind Wood.
Turkish racer Kenan Sofuoglu earned the pole position in qualifying for the World Supersport race. It is the 10th career pole position for Sofuoglu, who posted a track best 1:51.281 lap time in his second qualifying session. Knapp claimed pole position in qualifying for the GTO class of the Lucas Oil Superbike Challenge after posting a best lap time of 1:52.928.
e-mail: jcoon@desnews.com
HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship
Today at Miller Motorsports Park
Tickets: General admission: $53; grandstand: $70
TV: SPEED
Race 1 — World Superbike: 21 laps
64 miles, noon
Race — World Supersport: 18 laps
54.8 miles, 1:25 p.m.
Race — LOSC GTO, 2:10 p.m.
Race 2 — World Superbike: 21 laps
64 miles, 3:30 p.m.