Buriram (Thailand), Friday 20 March 2015 – The first ever World Superbike event to take place in Thailand got underway this morning at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team, on track with Chaz Davies and Troy Bayliss, took part in the first two timed practice sessions of the weekend in extremely hot temperatures which rose to 36°C (with a track temperature of 57°C) during the day.
This morning both Chaz and Troy started to get to grips with this brand new track, making the most of an extended opening session, 75 minutes in length. Chaz was immediately fast, right from his first exit, recording a 1’36.054 that positioned him at the top of the timesheets for a good part of the session. A small crash for the Welshman at Turn 3, thirty minutes from the session’s end, fortunately did not prevent the factory rider from continuing and, thanks to the fast lap recorded in the initial stages, Davies concluded the session in fourth place. Troy, making several changes during the practice, made good progress during the session, gradually improving on his lap times. Working calmly and systematically with his technicians on his Panigale R, he was able to make a good step forward in the closing minutes, to finish with a best time of 1’36.909 which positioned him fourteenth.
In the second timed practice, which took place on a much hotter track compared to the morning, both Chaz and Troy were immediately able to improve on their best times of the morning. Chaz recorded a 1’35.642 but later went a few tenths quicker to set a best of 1’35.288 which positioned him third at the end of day one. Troy, continuing to make changes with the team during the afternoon, improved on his earlier time by 1.3 seconds, to close in overall seventh position with a fastest time of 1’35.690.
The Superbikes will be back on track tomorrow for the final timed practice, free practice and the Superpole sessions.
Quotes after the day’s sessions:
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 3rd (1’35.288)
“I’m not particularly happy actually, as I feel I’m missing the right flow with the bike. It’s working well in some places but in certain areas, particularly concerning the front, I’d like more confidence, as I don’t really understand where the limit is at the front. It’s good to be near the front of course, but I’d rather be there with everything feeling right. I had a little crash this morning – I was late on the brakes, quite tight and I think it was a little dirty there on the track but anyway, I wasn’t hurt and the bike was more or less ok…”
Troy Bayliss – (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #21) – 7th (1’35.690)
“We had a few little dramas this morning that meant that it took us a little while to get going. I was feeling ok but nothing really special in the first practice but I knew we’d be able to more this afternoon on the softer tyre and I was right, able to go immediately quicker. Then we made a change mid-session, a change that also used to help us in the past, and I was able to make some quick laps, with my fastest lap coming on a tyre that had done 13 laps. So I’m really happy now, when I got off the bike I felt like I did seven years ago…”
Weekend schedule (CET +6):
Saturday
09.45 – 10.30 – SBK Timed Practice 3
12.30 – 13.00 – SBK Free Practice
15.00 – 15.15 – Superpole 1
15.25 – 15.40 – Superpole 2
Sunday
10.30 – 10.45 – SBK Warm-up
13.00 – SBK Race 1
16.30 – SBK Race 2
