Checa grew up in Catalonia and began racing in 1996, competing in Superbike World Championship and Supersport World Championship events at home and across Europe during his junior years. He is the younger brother of motorcycle racer Carlos Checa, who would go on to become a Superbike World Championship winner.
Between 2000 and 2002, Checa contested the 250cc World Championship, achieving a best overall season finish of 13th. After those formative years in grand prix competition, he transitioned to endurance racing, where his consistency, racecraft, and mechanical sympathy proved well-suited to the demands of long-distance events.
In 2005, Checa served as Pirelli's primary tester for their Superbike World Championship control tyre while also competing in selected races. That same year he claimed his first victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on a Yamaha, combining his Supersport outings with growing prominence in endurance competition.
Checa spent time in the Supersport World Championship and also raced in the Superbike World Championship for two seasons, though neither produced particularly strong results in terms of points finishes. In 2006 he was set to continue in the Supersport class but broke his wrist pre-season; he recovered to finish 11th overall. He continued in the Supersport World Championship in 2007, finishing 12th overall for the season.
In 2007 he also claimed his first Bol d'Or 24-hour endurance race victory at Circuit Paul Ricard on a Yamaha, demonstrating his growing stature in long-distance competition alongside his shorter-format commitments.
The FIM Endurance World Championship became Checa's primary arena of competition and the stage for his greatest achievements. His first world title came in 2004, establishing him early as a force in the discipline. A decade later he claimed his second championship in 2014, followed by back-to-back title victories in 2016–17 and 2018–19.
He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times: in 2005 and 2017 aboard a Yamaha, and again in 2019 with Kawasaki. The Le Mans triumphs span a remarkable fourteen-year window, illustrating his longevity at the top level of endurance motorcycle racing.
Checa also claimed two victories at the Bol d'Or, both at Circuit Paul Ricard — in 2007 and 2017, both on Yamaha machinery. His record at the two blue-riband events of world endurance racing — three wins at Le Mans and two at the Bol d'Or — places him among the all-time greats of the format.
In 2016, alongside his EWC activities, Checa won the French Superbike Championship, demonstrating he retained competitive edge in sprint-format events even at the height of his endurance career.
For much of his later career he competed aboard a Kawasaki ZX-10R in the FIM Endurance World Championship while also riding a Yamaha YZF-R1 in the RFME Superstock 1000 Championship in Spain.
David Checa's four FIM Endurance World Championship titles make him one of the most successful riders in the history of the discipline. His career arc — from 250cc grand prix racing through Superbike and Supersport competition to endurance dominance — reflects a versatility uncommon even among professional motorcycle racers. His brother Carlos Checa enjoyed parallel success in Superbike, making the Checa family one of the more celebrated in Spanish motorcycle sport. David's sustained competitiveness across more than two decades of professional racing, and his record at Le Mans and the Bol d'Or in particular, cement his status as a cornerstone figure of FIM Endurance World Championship history.