checa

The former MotoGP star, who has completed almost 50 jumps since the mid-1990s, took off from nearby Castellon Airport in a Cessna light aircraft and then jumped out at an altitude of 4000 metres together with three other colleagues.

2008 World Superbike Championship leader Troy Bayliss and Ducati Xerox team-mate Michel Fabrizio have both been forced to miss the two-day test due to injury, as has Sterilgarda Go Eleven rider Max Biaggi.

Superbike race action at Phillip Island was halted almost as soon as it had started after a startline accident involving Xerox Ducati's Michel Fabrizio. The sudden appearance of the red flags then created another incident at Lukey Heights that decimated the Honda contingent.

Starting from twelfth on the grid, Pramac-d'Antin rider Barros was up to seventh by the end of lap one - and looked capable of concluding his 21-year world championship career by battling for a second podium of the season.

Rossi completed eight laps with his injured right hand, but Chaz Davies (injured) and Carlos Checa (sick) didn't appear on track.

Full MotoGP final qualifying times for the Qatar Grand Prix at Losail, round thirteen of the 2004 world championship.

Carlos Checa returned to the MotoGP podium for the first time in over a year yesterday afternoon at Le Mans, the Spaniard finishing second to countryman Sete Gibernau - but beat Max Biaggi and team-mate Valentino Rossi to claim top Yamaha honours.

Viewers new to MotoGP may well have questioned if Carlos Checa was on the same team as Valentino Rossi at Welkom, and not just because of the different livery; Checa finished the Africa's Grand Prix nine places and 40secs behind his team-mate.

Carlos Checa may not have been able to threaten new team-mate Valentino Rossi in pre-season testing, but the Spaniard has benefited from the new and improved YZR-M1 and heads to the first round of the 2004 season an excited man.

It was an incident-filled first qualifying session for Fortuna Yamaha riders Carlos Checa and Marco Melandri, with both falling from their YZR-M1 - one of which exploded into flames.