Misano Adriatico (Italy), Sunday 21 June 2015 – Great results for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team, racing in Round 8 of the Superbike World Championship at the Misano World Circuit. Second and fourth for Giugliano, third and fourth for Davies, and two eighth place finishes for Pirro at his first World Superbike event of the season.
Race 1 – race one took place in warm and sunny conditions. Giugliano, from third on the grid, was lying second through the opening laps, positioned behind Sykes. On lap three, the Roman rider set a new lap record thanks to a very impressive 1.34’855. Retaining second position until two laps from the end, a drop in tyre performance slowed him down and, reached by both Rea and Davies in the final phase, the Italian had to be satisfied with final fourth position.
Thanks to his very fast pace, Chaz, 11th on the grid, used the opening laps to cut his way through the field, moving into fourth place by lap seven. On lap sixteen he reached Rea, at which point both riders gave chase to Giugliano, battling amongst themselves before passing the Italian in the final stages. Davies therefore crossed the line in third place, followed by his teammate Giugliano, fourth. The podium achieved today by Davies is particularly significant as it brings the number of podiums scored by Ducati to an incredible total of 800.
Having started the race tenth, Pirro lost a little ground at the start but a solid pace allowed him to make up several positions, moving from fourteenth to tenth by mid-race. Continuing to push, he was also able to pass VD Mark and Guintoli in the second half, meaning that the Italian wildcard concluded this first race in eighth place.
Race 2 – in race 2 Davide wasted no time in catching up to and then passing leader Sykes, taking command on lap seven. He remained in front until the fifteenth lap when Rea found a way past time. The Roman nevertheless continued to fight but a lack of grip in the later stages prevented him from scoring the win, meaning that Davide crossed the line in final second position.
Chaz made an excellent start, immediately making up seven positions to place fourth after just one lap. Fighting first with Sykes, then with Haslam, the Welshman pushed hard for a podium finish but this time he had to settle for fourth place, crossing the line less than a tenth of a second behind Haslam, third.
Pirro again lost out somewhat at the start but, as he had done in race 1, he was able to make up a lot of lost ground in the space of just a few laps. A constant pace saw him move into eighth place by the mid-race point, a position he was able to hold all the way to the line.
This means that as round 8 of the 2015 championship draws to its conclusion, Davies retains fourth place in the overall standings, with 213 points, while Giugliano moves up into seventh place, having earned 106 points. Pirro, having scored 16 points today, lies 21st in the standings. Ducati holds second position in the manufacturer’s standings with 268 points.
Quotes after the races:
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #34) – 4th, 2nd
“We were so close to the podium in race 1 and then got there in race 2 but I’m a little disappointed because I wanted to win here. Unfortunately Friday’s session and the fact I couldn’t work effectively due to my physical condition didn’t help us. Today I was missing a little grip in both races, the rear tyre was sliding around and that made it difficult to ride as I wanted in the final laps. But all in all, I’m pleased because I was able to hold the lead for many laps in race 2 and, seeing that I only came back at Imola, this shows that the bike has developed and that we are working really well.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 3rd, 4th
“It’s nice to know that I’ve given Ducati its 800th Superbike podium. Race 1 was really enjoyable. I knew it was important to get away well, considering my grid position, and I was able to do that, before getting into a real battle with Rea. We both had good pace and, despite a few hairy moments, it was a clean, fair race, one of the best of the year actually, and so I’m pleased with that result. I’m disappointed that I didn’t reach the podium in race 2, but I suffered more with a lack of grip and couldn’t find a way past Haslam. Anyway, we have to be pleased with today’s results and now look ahead to Laguna Seca.”
Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #55) – 8th, 8th
“Firstly I want to thank both the team and Ducati. As always I felt very much at home with the guys and it’s been a great experience to ride the Superbike here, with Pirelli tyres. I’m just disappointed that my races were both conditioned by my starts because if I’d got away faster I could have scored better results. So that’s a shame because I know we had good potential. Having said that, considering I only got here on Saturday and had never ridden with these tyres or the Superpole qualifying tyre, I think the overall outcome is a positive one.”
Ernesto Marinelli – Ducati SBK Project Director
“We’ve had a positive weekend. Both Davide and Chaz have completed two great races, further reducing the gap that has kept us from victory in recent events. These two rostrum finishes are important in that we have scored the 800th and 801st Superbike podium finishes for Ducati, a significant milestone that repays the work carried out by everyone at Borgo Panigale and the support shown by the many Ducatisti who came to Misano this weekend. Michele also did well considering the fact that he only rode from Saturday onwards and had some problems off the line. It was a real shame about Luca Scassa and we of course wish him a speedy recovery. We won’t rest, as our objective remains to win, so we must continue to work in order to find those few tenths that we are missing in the final phase of the race.”
