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Just a few hours after the riders had stepped off their bikes, the 2011 season was brought to a close with the traditional FIM Superbike World Championship awards ceremony, which this year was held in the Le Meridien Penina Golf & Resort Hotel at Portimão.

Following the introductory speeches from Infront Motor Sports CEO, Paolo Flammini and FIM Vice-President Jorge Viegas, the top 3 riders in the four racing categories, together with the European Junior Cup winner, were called onto the stage in succession to receive a series of prizes: gold, silver and bronze medals, FIM diplomas, Pirelli and Tissot awards and of course the end-of-season trophies, from FIM Road-Racing Commission Director Rezsö Bulcsu, Paolo Flammini and from UEM Road-Racing Commission Chairman Ap Ruitenbeek for Superstock 600 and European Junior Cup.

Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati), Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team) and Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) for Superbike, Chaz Davies (Yamaha ParkinGO), David Salom (Kawasaki Motocard.com) and Fabien Foret (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) for Supersport, Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati), Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Ducati) and Lorenzo Zanetti (BMW Motorrad Italia) for Superstock 1000 and Jed Metcher (MTM-RT Motorsports Yamaha), Joshua Day (Revolution Racedays Kawasaki) and Michael van der Mark (Hannspree Ten Kate Junior Honda) for Superstock 600, as well as Matt Davies for EJC all took their awards, while the Superbike and Supersport Manufacturers' prizes were picked up by Marco Lozej, Althea Racing's track engineer and Laurens Klein Koerkamp respectively for Ducati and Yamaha.

Checa and Foret received the Pirelli ‘Best Lap Award' from Giorgio Barbier (Racing Director Moto) and Ilaria Casarini (Marketing Manager) for the Superbike and Supersport riders who totaled the most fastest laps throughout the season, while the new-for-2011 Tissot Superbike and Supersport Qualifying Masters Awards went to Checa and Broc Parkes (Kawasaki Motocard.com).