Checa checks out on home soil

After 13 seasons of Grand Prix participation Carlos Checa bid farewell to MotoGP on Sunday at the Gran Premio bwin.com de la Comunitat Valenciana and at the conclusion of the race he was surrounded by a crowd of well-wishing colleagues, family members and friends at the Ricardo Tormo circuit.

In the last of his 192 premier class appearances the Honda LCR veteran came home 12th in front of a cheering 130,000-plus home crowd and returned to his pit-box after a weekend which was hard to deal with both physically and mentally.

Checa had missed some periods of practice due to a stomach complaint, but following a tough season he now moves on to pastures new with a ride for Honda in the 2008 World Superbikes championship.

To see Checa's farewell celebrations follow the video link on the left.