Imola (Italy), Friday 11 May 2014 – Day one of Superbike action at the Imola circuit in Italy brought positive results for the Ducati Superbike Team and its riders Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies, fifth and sixth respectively after today’s two timed practice sessions.
The first timed practice session of the weekend saw both Giugliano and Davies score some solid results. In warm and sunny conditions (air temperature 24°C, track 44°C), the Ducati Superbike pairing were immediately at their ease on the Italian track, lapping with consistently fast times from the outset. Gradually improving on these times as the session went on, Giugliano put in an extremely fast lap in the final minutes, recording a best of 1’48.329 to finish at the head of the pack, in first place, two tenths quicker than second-placed rider Rea. Davies was also able to record some impressive lap times, concluding this opening session in fourth place, with a best time of 1’48.890.
Session two took place on an even warmer track (approx. 50°C) but was unfortunately interrupted more than once when the red flag was waved due to a persistent problem with a broken drain cover at the edge of the track. Despite the higher temperatures and interruptions, Davies was able to improve on his best time set in the morning, recording a fastest time of 1’48.592 which positioned him sixth overall. Giugliano was unable to improve on this morning’s already very fast time, closing in final fifth position at the end of day one.
Quotes after the day’s sessions:
Davide Giugliano – (Ducati Superbike Team #34) – 5th (1’48.329)
“Everything’s going well so far. This morning I already felt very comfortable on the bike and we’re continuing to work in the right direction. This afternoon we didn’t have the chance to improve but we did use the same tyre for the entire session and were consistently fast which is very important considering the hot track conditions. I’m a bit disappointed about the overall position but we still have time to improve tomorrow.”
Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 6th (1’48.592)
“On the one hand the interruptions this afternoon gave us time to work on the bike but on the other hand we had a few things to test so those final twelve minutes would have been useful. Overall it’s been a good day, in this morning’s session the bike already felt good and then I think we made another step forward this afternoon. We’re still suffering from some vibration problems but we plan to attack that issue tomorrow – if we can work on that and find a solution then I think we can further improve and be competitive here.”
Weekend schedule (CET):
Saturday
9.45 – 10.30 – SBK Timed Practice
12.30 – 13.00 – SBK Free Practice
15.00 – 15.15 – Superpole 1
15.25 – 15.40 – Superpole 2
Sunday
8.45 – 8.55 – SBK Warm-up
10.30 – SBK Race 1
13.10 – SBK Race 2
