Checa began racing in 1996, contesting Superbike World Championship and Supersport World Championship events in Spain and across Europe. Between 2000 and 2002 he competed in the 250cc World Championship, achieving a best overall finish of 13th place. After concluding his Grand Prix career he transitioned to endurance racing, a discipline that would define the bulk of his professional career.
In 2005 he served as Pirelli's main tyre tester for their Superbike World Championship control tyre programme, combining that role with selected races. During the same year he also made three substitute appearances in MotoGP, standing in for the injured Toni Elias. He continued in the Supersport World Championship for 2006, though a pre-season wrist injury restricted him to an 11th-place overall finish. He returned in 2007, placing 12th overall, and claimed his first major endurance triumph that year by winning the Bol d'Or 24-hour race on a Yamaha.
Checa raced in the Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) for two seasons, collecting a modest points tally across both campaigns without achieving significant results. The experience nonetheless broadened his technical understanding and contributed to his development as an all-round motorcycle racer.
Checa's endurance racing record places him among the most decorated competitors in FIM Endurance World Championship history. He won the overall series title on four occasions:
2004
2014
2016–17
2018–19
Alongside the championship titles, Checa accumulated an impressive collection of landmark race victories. He won the 24 Hours Moto of Le Mans three times — in 2005 and 2017 aboard Yamaha machinery and in 2019 with Kawasaki. He also won the Bol d'Or 24-hour endurance race twice on Circuit Paul Ricard, in 2007 and 2017, both times on Yamaha.
In 2016 Checa added a national title to his endurance achievements by winning the French Superbike Championship.
Following his years with Yamaha, Checa joined the Kawasaki programme and continued competing at the top level of endurance racing aboard the Kawasaki ZX-10R. His 2019 Le Mans victory with Kawasaki demonstrated his ability to adapt to new machinery while maintaining championship-winning form. He also competed in the RFME Superstock 1000 Championship on a Yamaha YZF-R1 during portions of his later career.
David Checa is the brother of motorcycle racer Carlos Checa, a former Superbike World Champion in his own right. The Checa family has been one of the most prominent motorcycle racing families in Spanish motorsport history.
Over a career spanning more than two decades, David Checa accumulated one of the most comprehensive endurance racing records in the sport. His four FIM Endurance World Championship titles, three Le Mans 24 Hours victories, and two Bol d'Or wins mark him as a benchmark figure in motorcycle endurance competition. His adaptability across manufacturers — Yamaha and Kawasaki — and across racing disciplines underscores his standing as a versatile and durable competitor at the highest level of the sport.