Ducati’s Chaz Davies stops Kawasaki train
A runaway double for the Welshman, who dominated as the championship hit Spain for round threeDucati's Chaz Davies claimed the double in round three of the 2016 Superbike World Championship at MotorLand Aragon in Spain on April 2-3.
His 1-1 results saw him get the better of Kawasaki duo Jonathan Rea (2-3) and Tom Sykes (3-2), who had won all four races to start the season.
Davies' second win at Aragon will forever be etched into WorldSBK memorry banks, as it was the 700th race for the production-based series which began way back in 1988.
“This weekend feels like a dream. The bike was competitive from the get-go, and we only made small tweaks," said Davies. "The technical upgrades brought here have given us what we needed. In Thailand I could only stay in the slipstream, while here I’ve been able to pass my opponents also on the straight.
"The season has just begun, and things can change quite quickly, but I’m really happy with our overall package. It’s my third year with Ducati, and I witnessed a constant growth. Now the list of things to improve is really short, and I want to thank everybody in the team and the factory for the amount of work put in.”
Spaniard Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team Ducati) was excellent with a pair of fourth places, while Davide Giugliano (Ducati) and Nicky Hayden (Honda) completed the top six in race one, and in race two it was Jordi Torres (BMW) and Giugliano.
Australia's Josh Brookes (BMW) went 13-13 across the two 18-lap races, while the returning Josh Hook (Kawasaki) didn't finish either race.
Rea's championship lead has now been trimmed to 26pts (131 to 105), with Davies now in second spot ahead of Sykes (102), Michael van der Mark (Honda, 74) Giugliano (56) and Yamaha's Sylvain Guintoli (53).
In world supersport, rreigning champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki) took a commanding victory from teammate and championship leader Randy Krummenacher and Nico Terol (MV Agusta).
It was a bad weekend for the Aussies, with Glenn Scott (Honda) breaking his leg in practice, while Aiden Wagner (MV Agusta) crashed on lap one. Lachlan Epis (Kawasaki) was the only finisher, in 21st position on his Kawasaki.
The next round will be held at Assen in The Netherlands on from April 15-17.
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