To end the season on a high notesource: moto.racing-live.comCarlos Checa is looking forward to his third home GP of the year at Valencia this weekend.
Currently ninth overall with two podium finishes, the Ducati Marlboro Team rider is keen to record a top-three performance in front of his home crowd.
"I'm really looking forward to Valencia because the bike and the Bridgestones are working really well now", he says.
"Valencia is a special event and I've a big motivation to do really well for the Spanish fans. I didn't have such a great time at Jerez or Barcelona earlier this season, so I want a good result here, especially after my podium finishes in Malaysia and Australia.
Valencia is quite an unusual track, there's a lot of corners in a very tight layout, so you are always working the bike hard, turning from side to side and trying to get through the short little corners as quickly as possible. It's hard work but it's quite fun too, especially if the bike is working well. You need very light handling and a user-friendly engine for this track. The front end is also really important here, because you need good turn-in performance."