Checa closing on MotoGP return
Carlos Checa has announced that he will return to MotoGP for the final two races of the 2010 season, and is expected to replace Mika Kallio at Pramac Ducati
Checa tested a works Ducati GP10 at Estoril earlier this week as a reward for his Superbike performances this season, which have seen him take third in the world championship for the Althea Ducati team.
The 38-year-old Spaniard subsequently revealed on his Twitter feed that he would be racing in the remaining MotoGP rounds at Estoril and Valencia. Checa last appeared in MotoGP with LCR Honda in 2007, and has two victories to his name from his 13-season career in the premier class.
Although the Pramac team has not yet confirmed that Kallio will step down from its line-up after Phillip Island this weekend, the Finn has struggled for much of the 2010 season and is last among the regular riders in the championship.
Kallio has cited a recurrent shoulder injury as the main cause of his lack of form, but his pace has improved in Australia this weekend, as he ended a run of back-row starts by qualifying 12th. He has been linked to a move down to Moto2 for 2011.
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