After an unexpectedly difficult Race One, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team bounced back in Buriram (Tailand), taking another podium with Chaz Davies, who finished third after mounting a strong comeback in a thrilling Race Two, which was won by Tom Sykes. Davide Giugliano, on the other hand, was penalized by bad luck, suffering a technical problem and finishing in tenth position.
The race initially unfolded similarly to the one on Saturday, with the factory Kawasakis dictating the pace. Both Davies and Giugliano got off a strong start, but the Italian progressively lost contact with the front as he was forced to lap around 1.5 seconds slower than his usual pace. Davies instead managed to mount a spectacular comeback and, at half-way, got himself in third position and progressively cut the gap. In the last five laps, the Welshman fought tenaciously, albeit without finding an opening, and closed in third place, only three tenths behind the winner.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will now head back to Europe for the third round of the WorldSBK championship, scheduled for Aragon (April 1-3).
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 3rd
“I’m happy with the progress we’ve made since yesterday. Thanks to the team, we solved a couple issues and I could fight at the top again, but we missed a little something to try to go for the win. We still need to improve on the engine side, but this track was probably the most difficult both for me and the Panigale R and still I leave it with a smile on my face. This podium gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the next races.”
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) – 10th
“This weekend, it’s been more difficult than we expected. Yesterday I was making a strong comeback and crashing out was really unfortunate, while today I suffered a technical problem, which still needs to be verified, that reduced significantly my speed on the straight. Anyway, Chaz’s third place represents a good indication of the competitiveness of the Panigale R, and I’m confident I can redeem myself as well in Aragon.”
Ernesto Marinelli, SBK Project Director
“Today has been more positive, at least to some extent. Both Chaz and Davide rode at their best, but with different outcomes. Davide faced a performance drop on the straight that prevented him from lapping as fast as usual, while with Chaz we managed to cut the gap almost entirely since yesterday. As in Australia, we barely missed the top of the podium here as well, and we’re confident we can make the last step once we’re back in Europe.”
