Checa to leave MotoGP at end of season

Carlos Checa, Honda LCR's 34 year-old Catalan MotoGP veteran, has officially announced that he will leave the World Championship at the end of the current season.

The experienced Checa will depart from Lucio Cecchinello's premier class outfit after the final race of this year in Valencia in November to join World Superbikes for the 2008 season – riding a Honda Ten Kate bike.

The possibilities for Checa to stay in MotoGP for the forthcoming campaign were reduced earlier this season when it was announced that current Kawasaki rider Randy de Puniet would be joining Honda LCR for the 2008 championship.

It is believed that Checa received a test riding offer from Ducati, but his wish to continue racing leads him into Superbikes, after 12 years of Grand Prix competition in the premier class.

His victories in his native Catalunya in 1996 and in Madrid two years later, in addition to his fourth placed finish overall in the 1998 season, stand out as his most significant achievements in the World Championship.

Commenting on his official website www.carloscheca.com, the Honda stalwart sated: "I'm really looking forward to this new challenge, it's an interesting step in my career and I'm very upbeat. I'm sure I can get good results and be competitive. Riding in World Superbikes with Honda and Ten Kate is a good prospect, and more than anything, I'm very proud of the fact that the factory and the team placed their faith in me."