Chaz Davies is confident he has a motorcycle capable of challenging for victories on a consistent basis after claiming two podiums at Phillip Island on Sunday. The Ducati rider was within half a second of the winner in both races but had to settle for third and although the failure to get in amongst the top two disappointed Davies, the Welshman will take plenty of positives from the competitiveness of the Panigale.
“I’m finally on the podium at Phillip Island, and twice over – having tried every year to get here, I’ve finally done it. I would have liked to be able to do something more but it wasn’t possible, I was just missing a little more drive in the final laps and tried to conserve the tyres as well as I could. I personally have always started the championship a little badly and so this result is extremely important. It confirms that we are starting at a different level with respect to last year, and I was able to stick there with Rea fairly comfortably. We’re worked hard this weekend, concentrated on race distance, and it seems to have paid off. I thank my whole team but also all of the technicians back at Borgo Panigale for their hard work over the winter. The results obtained here are a good base on which to build.”
Troy Bayliss couldn’t give the home fans their dream result on the sister Panigale, finishing thirteenth in race one before heavy tyre wear in race two denied him a possible top ten finish. After being so competitive in the second race, the Australian was disappointed with the unscheduled pit stop but nevertheless enjoyed the chance to entertain his compatriots one more time.
“I’m feeling a real mix of emotions at the end of the weekend. I came here to have fun, and for the fans and the Phillip Island circuit. I thought that maybe I wouldn’t have the pace to be able to run with these guys anymore but instead I’ve seen that I can still be fast and, if it hadn’t been for the tyre issue, I think I could have done a lot more. So I don’t know, it’s a pity I didn’t have more time on track, and I didn’t have time to train properly ahead of the event of course, but all in all it’s been a really fun weekend, and in many ways it feels like nothing has changed since 2008. I thank Ducati for giving me the opportunity and also all of the fans and ducatisti for their continued support.”
