The Spaniard gave himself plenty of w🔯ork to do in both races at the historic Dutch circuit which team manager Ronald ten Kate colourfully describes as their "back garden!"

The Barcelona rider was as low as seventh in the ꩵfirst race and eighth in the second before flying through the field on the white and lime green Honda to score a double podium.

Many former GP riders have had theജ same slow-starting trouble when transferring to Superbike. Alex Barros was always giving himself plenty to do with bad starts and Max Biaggi suffered th𓄧e same fate in his first year in WSBK last year.

Checa 𒆙has proved his pace now though and looks to be, with Haga, the man most likely to beat Troy 🔥Bayliss and win races this year.

ღ"The first race was very special riding close with Max," admitted Checa. "When I came to pass him it sure brought back thoughts of Valencia!

"I took attention while overtaking him but Troy had already secured a firm lead. He was too strong today and there was no way to fight🌌 and overtake him here."

Checa's team mate Ryuichi Kiyo🦩nari is quietly going about his business in the WSBK paddock. Learning about new tyres and many new circuits, the Japanese riders pace is without question.

His luck though here was൲ a little 🃏rough and a bike problem forced the double British champion out of race two after a steady seventh in race one.

"A steering damper cla💜mp broke," revealed Kiyonari. "I don't know why this happened but it meant I had to stop.

"My rid💝ing style means I push the front tyre, this was hampering me in race one so for race two we made a change and it was much better.

"I was 🔜able to set very good lap times and this gives me much confidence that I m𓂃ade a good choice."

Sadly the teams third rider Kenan Sofuoglu suffered a miserable weekend at a track where he was p💦lanning on making a real push for good results.

The Turk has struggled to adapt to the Superbike far mor⛄e than he or his team expected and at a track he dominated last year on a 600 he managed only a 12th place in race one.

"My first race was acceptable, but the second was a disaster," admitted Kenanꦛ. "I was expecting to go a lot better at this tra🦂ck but was not able to succeed.

"There is no problem with the bike, e💃verything seems to be fine. I just don't have an answer as to why I am riding ꩵlike this."

Team boss Ronald ten K𒈔ate though can see where his riders need 🐼to improve, especially Checa.

"His biggest problem still seems to lie in the early part of the race where we have a lack of speed. We can make up ground late🍨r on but lose too much time early on.

Ten Kate managed a one two in the Superport race that will ha🍸ve made up for the disappointments of Kiyonari and Sofuoglu and also their youngꦏ Superstock rider Maxim Berger won his first race of the year.