Chaz Davies ended Kawasaki’s undefeated streak in Thailand with victory in the second race of the weekend at Buriram. The Welshman ended a seven-race winning run for the Japanese manufacturer in Buriram, handing Ducati their first ever victory at the venue and third from four attempts in the 2018 season.
Honda’s Leon Camier started race two from pole position with the factory Kawasaki of Tom Sykes looking well placed on the front row of the grid but it was the Yamahas of Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes who took control early on, running first and second respectively. Camier had fallen to seventh behind Davies, Jonathan Rea, Marco Melandri and Xavi Fores but Sykes’ race had taken an even greater turn for the worse, front end problems forcing him to retire on lap seven.
With Rea outbraking himself at the end of lap two, dropping to sixth, Davies was left free to challenge the Yamahas up front and by the end of lap eight, Chaz had eased his way into the lead which, despite a promising performance from the YZF-R1s, he would maintain until the finish. Van der Mark saw off Lowes for second with Yamaha taking their first rostrum finishes of the season, while Rea eventually recovered to fourth, a result which moved him to the head of the championship.
Fores took fifth ahead of Camier while Melandri’s miserable weekend ended with seventh spot. Toprak Razgatlioglu finished a fine eighth ahead of Lorenzo Savadori but the Aprilia team’s thoughts were with Eugene Laverty who suffered a sickening collision with Jordi Torres on lap five, leaving the Irishman with a fractured pelvis.
WorldSBK 2018: Motul Thai Round: Race Two
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