Alcaniz (Spain), Wednesday 8 April 2015 – The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team concludes a two-day test at Misano and travels directly to Spain for Round 3 of the 2015 Superbike World Championship.
The factory team is ready for the third round of the World Superbikes, and the first European round, taking place this coming weekend at the Spanish track of Motorland Aragón. At Round 3 (and also Round 4), factory rider Chaz Davies will be joined in the garage by Spanish rider Xavier Forés, substituting for the injured Davide Giugliano.
The team has today concluded two days of development tests at the Misano World Circuit in Italy, the last test before the ‘test ban’ that comes into effect as of the first European round. Favourable weather conditions allowed Chaz Davies, substitute rider Xavi Forés and test rider Luca Scassa to complete a great deal of work over the course of the tests, providing the team with a lot of useful data ahead of the next races.
Having concluded testing, the team immediately turns its attentions to round 3. This is the fifth consecutive year that the Motorland Aragón circuit, inaugurated in 2009, will host the Superbikes. In recent years, Davies has obtained some excellent results at the Spanish track, doing the double in 2013 and also stepping up to the podium in 2012. The last time that Forés raced at Aragón was in 2013, when he crossed the line second in the CEV championship. Davies and Forés are ready to take to the track on Friday morning for the first practice session of this third 2015 championship round.
Comments ahead of the event:
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7)
“These two days of testing have been very useful in order to better understand and work on a couple of issues that we had at Chang. And it’s always useful to lap before a race weekend in order to get back into the rhythm. I’m confident ahead of Aragón, as it’s a track I really enjoy and where I’ve scored some good results in the past.”
Xavier Forés (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #12)
“I’m pleased to have had the chance to ride for two days at Misano prior to the race. I immediately felt comfortable with the bike, and we’ve carried out some set-up tests which have given me a further confidence boost. I can’t wait to get this Aragón weekend started and I trust that I’ll be able to do a good job.”
Circuit Information:
Country: Spain
Name: Motorland Aragón
Length: 5.077 km
Pole position: right
Corners: 17
Race distance: 18 laps/91.386 km
RECORDS: Best lap – Sykes (Kawasaki) 1’57.664 (2014). Superpole – Sykes (Kawasaki) 1’56.339 (2013).
2014 RESULTS: Race 1 – 1. Sykes (Kawasaki); 2. Baz (Kawasaki); 3. Rea (Honda). Race 2 – 1. Sykes (Kawasaki); 2. Baz (Kawasaki); 3. Melandri (Aprilia)
Rider Information:
Chaz Davies
Bike: Ducati Panigale R
Race number: 7
Age: 28 (Born 10/02/1987 in Knighton, Wales)
Number of SBK races: 78
Number of wins: 4
Number of podiums: 16
Davies’ SBK track record at Motorland Aragón
2014: Race 1 – 4th, Race 2 – DNF
2013: Race 1 – winner, Race 2 – winner
2012: Race 1 – 4th, Race 2 – 3rd
Xavier Forés
Bike: Ducati Panigale R
Race number: 12
Age: 29 (Born 16/09/1985 in Llombai – Valencia, Spain)
Number of SBK races: 10
Number of wins: 0
Number of podiums: 0
Weekend schedule (CET):
Friday
11.15 – 12.00 – SBK Timed Practice 1
15.00 – 15.45 – SBK Timed Practice 2
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
8.40 – 8.55 – SBK Warm-up
10.30 – SBK Race 1
13.10 – SBK Race 2
