The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team resumed action in Misano for the eighth round of the WorldSBK championship. The first day of practice was characterized by a particularly close fight at the top as only half a second separates the first ten riders in the timesheets, where Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies sit in fourth (+0.197) and sixth (+0.216) position respectively.
Giugliano took charge in FP1, posting the best time with a 1:35.460. As the focus of his work shifted to race pace in FP2, during which he ran one set of tyres over race distance to evaluate wear, the Italian rider did not improve in the afternoon. Davies, on the other hand, took over half a second off his best time between FP1 and FP2, closing with a 1:35.479 and trying different compounds in search of the optimal grip. Both riders gained direct access to Superpole 2, scheduled for 10:55 local time (CET) in anticipation of Race 1 at 13:00.
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) – 4th
“Today has been more than positive. In the morning, we managed to be the fastest, while in the afternoon we focused more on race pace, taking a rear tyre over race distance and posting our best time of FP2 at the very end of the session. Now we need to work on the fastest sector of the track to gain a couple of tenths, improving acceleration and stability, but our rhythm over the long distance is very competitive.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 6th
“Today we worked mostly on the chassis, trying also different tyre compounds to better understand wear. The temperatures were higher than during our last test, but the lap times didn’t change significanty. At the moment, we struggle a bit with the first touch of the throttle at maximum lean angle, but only in certain corners. We just need a bit more grip and support, and now we’ll work together with the whole crew to make the necessary step forward ahead of Race 1.”
