Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), Sunday 20 September 2015 – fantastic results for Chaz Davies and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team in the Jerez World Superbike races; having reached the podium in race 1, in second position, the Welshman put together a faultless race 2 to achieve his fifth win of the season! Michele Pirro completed two good races, crossing the line in sixth and seventh place.
Race 1 – from sixth on the grid, Davies got away very well, moving straight into third place. Chasing down the Kawasakis ahead of him, the Welshman reached and passed Rea on lap seven to take second position. In the second half of the race Chaz was able to increase his pace but unfortunately it was not enough to reach race leader Sykes, meaning that the Aruba Ducati man crossed the line in second position.
Pirro, seventh on the grid, held that position throughout the opening laps. In the first half of the race, the Italian struggled to close in on his rivals on the new tyre but, thanks to a significantly quicker pace in the second phase, he caught up to Haslam and Rea, immediately ahead of him, to cross the line in sixth position.
Race 2 – once again Chaz quickly got into a good rhythm and was lying second through the opening stages. He did well to fight off the advances of the chasing pack and, thanks to his extremely strong pace, was able to pass Sykes to move into the lead on lap eleven. Gradually increasing his lead while effectively managing the final phase of the race, the Aruba Ducati man crossed the line in first place, with an advantage of almost two seconds. This marks his fifth win of the 2015 season, thanks to which he consolidates second position in the overall standings.
For Pirro, the second race was more difficult. In order to prevent the front of the bike from moving around so much, a harder front tyre was selected for this second race but unfortunately this resulted in a more dramatic loss of grip in the afternoon’s higher temperatures. Michele nevertheless maintained a constant pace which allowed him to conclude in seventh position.
With only two rounds left to run, Chaz Davies continues to hold second position in the overall standings, with 353 points, while Michele Pirro has earned points enough (35) to place twentieth. Ducati maintains second position in the manufacturer’s standings with 408 points.
Quotes after the races:
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 2nd, winner
“What a second race! I thought it would be very difficult to win here today but we did well not to change anything from race 1; the track conditions were very different and it went better. In race 1, I knew that I’d have trouble in the early stages. I was able to match Tom’s pace in the second half but I expected a drop in his tyre performance that never arrived. I’m very pleased with today’s results of course and it’s really important to have taken good points at this stage of the championship. I know the battle for second in the overall standings will be tight and I hope it goes to the wire in Qatar.”
Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #55) – 6th, 7th
“In race 1 I didn’t go to badly but hoped to be able to do better in the second. We changed the front tyre for race 2, opting for a slightly harder solution but unfortunately it didn’t perform as we’d hoped. I had no grip at the front and it was all I could do to keep the bike upright and get to the end of the race. A pity, as I would have liked to do more but I thank the team for having given me the opportunity and for all their hard work this weekend.”
Stefano Cecconi – Team Principal
“We’re really pleased with today’s results, a further confirmation of the fact that the work completed this season, particularly in the second part, by the riders and team has continued to take us in the right direction, allowing us to fight consistently for race wins. We are proud of the partnership with Ducati that has, already during this first season, given Aruba a strong return in terms of image and visibility.”
Serafino Foti – Team Manager
“To start again after the summer break and repeat the results of the last round is truly fantastic! This confirms our strength and rewards the work of the entire team and racing department, thanks to which Chaz had a really high-performing bike today. He did the rest and really deserves this result, having demonstrated his ability to interpret the race perfectly. Conditions were very difficult today due to the high temperatures. I also want to thank Michele who, as usual, has done a great job, providing us with precious data for the future. Unfortunately a different front tyre choice in race 2 penalized him but he did well to manage the loss of grip.”
