Spain’s Carlos Checa will head into this weekend’s Yamaha-sponsored opening round of the 2011 Superbike World Championship bristling with confidence after setting the fastest time in a two-day test session at Phillip Island.

The world number three has dialled his Ducati into perfection and will head into the season-opener as the warm favourite as the World Superbike title makes its 21st appearance at the decorated Victorian venue.

“It was a very positive test and a fantastic lap time,” Checa commented. “I was a bit worried before because I had not done so much testing and I arrived here and was not sure if we had enough time on the bike.

“During the winter I did a race, then I went to the desert, then some motocross, and it was all a bit confusing. Portugal testing was not so positive because of the weather, so I arrived here without the required full confidence.

“But we’ve been able to grow up very quick from the first day, the pace of the bike at this track is good, I feel very close with the team and that’s why I’m in this position.”

While Checa is in menacing form, Australia’s main championship hope Troy Corser only finished the test session in 16th on his factory BMW, four spots behind 24-year-old Mildura wild card Josh Waters in his WSBK debut with Yoshimura Suzuki.

But Corser, a seven-time winner at Phillip Island, is expected to make a quantum leap forward when real business of practice and qualifying begins on Friday, before the two 22-lap races are held on Sunday.

Only a handful of riders managed to better their best times from this morning in the final afternoon session.

Checa wasn’t one of them, but his sizzling time of 1:30.578secs wasn’t close to being eclipsed this afternoon, as he completed the marathon test ahead of fellow Ducati rider Sylvain Guintoli, Honda’s Jonathan Rea, Ducati’s Jakub Smrz and Kawasaki’s Joan Lascorz.

Checa’s morning blitzer was well under the official lap record held by Australia’s Troy Corser, and also humbled the best ever World Superbike lap at Phillip Island by nearly half a second.

Jonathan Rea’s day ended disastrously when he crashed in the afternoon session at the fast turn three and his bike caught on fire. He was initially diagnosed with a fractured and dislocated ring finger on his left hand, but has also now been airlifted to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne to have a pre-existing wrist injury checked out.

Aprilia’s world champion Max Biaggi was sixth overall in the test, edging out Suzuki’s Michel Fabrizio and Yamaha’s former MotoGP star Marco Melandri.

All five brands represented in this year’s championship made it into the top 10, which reflects how competitive the racing is expected to be.

Reigning Australian Superbike Champion rider Bryan Staring was 18th on his Perdercini Kawasaki, while Newcastle’s Mark Aitchison was 22nd, also on a Pedercini Kawasaki.

In Supersport, Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) stayed on the top slot by just a fraction as the World Supersport runners completed their four testing sessions at Phillip Island.

The Frenchman was put under pressure throughout by an impressive Broc Parkes on the Kawasaki Motocard.com machine.

David Salom on the second Kawasaki was a further two-tenths behind but held on to the place from youngster Florian Marino (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda).

Britain’s Sam Lowes (Parkalgar Honda) was next up, followed by Roberto Tamburini (Yamaha Bike Service) in sixth. Luca Scassa was the first Yamaha ParkinGO man in the timesheets, in seventh with Chaz Davies a further five places down.

Gino Rea (Step Racing Honda) was eighth, while Danilo Dell’Omo was the first Triumph in the timesheets in 10th.

Superbike World Championship
Infront Motor Sport Official Test – Phillip Island, VIC

World Superbike (Combined overall):
1. 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1’30.578
2. 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’31.196
3. 4 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1’31.206
4. 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1’31.654
5. 17 Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’31.866
6. 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’31.870
7. 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’32.113
8. 33 Melandri M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R1 1’32.122
9. 58 Laverty E. (IRL) Yamaha YZF R1 1’32.137
10. 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’32.272
11. 41 Haga N. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’32.299
12. 12 Waters J. (AUS) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1’32.394
13. 111 Xaus R. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 1’32.405
14. 91 Haslam L. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 1’32.413
15. 52 Toseland J. (GBR) BMW S1000 RR 1’32.880
16. 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1’32.994
17. 86 Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 1’33.233
18. 67 Staring B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’33.398
19. 6 Yanagawa A. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’33.432
20. 121 Berger M. (FRA) Ducati 1098R 1’33.485
21. 44 Rolfo R. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’33.514
22. 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1’33.560
23. 8 Aitchison M. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-10R 1’33.721

World Supersport (Combined overall top eight):
1. Foret F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1’33.904
2.Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’33.918
3. Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 1’34.183
4. Marino F. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 1’34.726
5. Lowes S. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’35.019
6 Tamburini R. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’35.249
7. Scassa L. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 1’35.272
8. Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 1’35.381