Assen (The Netherlands), Sunday 19 April 2015 – Chaz Davies and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team scored a further 40 points in today’s Superbike races at the TT Circuit of Assen, with Davies twice powering his Panigale R across the line in second position. Javier Forés finished the day’s races seventh and eighth.
Race 1 – The first of the day’s Superbike races took place in dry but cold conditions (air temperature 9°C, track 15°C). Davies, from fourth on the grid, was immediately up into third behind the two factory Kawasakis. Having got past Sykes, Chaz held second place for the entire second half of the race. The Welshman, maintaining an extremely fast pace all the way to the line, did all he could to reach Rea, a few tenths ahead of him, but, owing to front tyre wear which had reached a critical level by the final stages, he was forced to settle for final second position. Javier, seventh on the grid, immediately made up one position off the line. Retaining sixth place for almost the entire duration of the race, the Spaniard continued to set some fast lap times which allowed him to stick close to the leading group until just a few laps from the end, when he unfortunately lost ground due to front tyre wear. Forés therefore closed race one in seventh position.
Race 2 – Overcast skies but dry conditions for race 2. A good start for Davies initially positioned him fourth. The race, which was extremely hard fought by the frontrunners, saw Chaz battle it out against Rea, Sykes, Haslam and Vd Mark for the podium places. On lap 18 Davies set the ‘best lap’ of the race, in 1’35.992, before continuing to push until the line and close in second position, just four tenths of a second behind Rea. A difficult race 2 for Forés who was unable to find the right feeling with the medium front tyre selected. Despite showing strong pace in the early stages, the Spaniard started to lose terrain from mid-race onwards, concluding in final eighth position.
After the first four rounds of the 2015 Superbike World Championship, Chaz Davies is in third position in the championship standings with 123 points accumulated so far. Having competed at both Aragón and Assen, Forés now has 38 points and lies twelfth overall. The Spaniard will now turn his attention to the German IDM Championship, in which he will compete once again with team 3C Racing on board the Panigale R. The IDM championship will begin on 3 May at the Lausitzring.
As long as there are no unexpected complications, Davide Giugliano should return to the ranks of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team for round 5 of the Superbike World Championship, taking place at Imola on 10 May.
Quotes after the races:
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #7) – 2nd, 2nd
“I’m very happy with today’s results, also because it’s the first time I’ve stepped up to the Assen podium in Superbike. I’m pleased because I know we did all we could today, Rea was just a little stronger. In race 1, we were fairly confident with our rear tyre choice, having tested it over the weekend, but surprisingly my problem in race 1 was the front tyre – I had no grip at all in the last couple of laps and so there was no way of sticking with Johnny to the end. In race 2 the bike and tyre were better, we definitely made a step forward but there was no catching Rea. Now I can’t wait to head to Imola, Ducati’s home circuit and a track where we were able to do well last year.”
Javier Forés (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #112) – 7th, 8th
“In race 1 I was riding well and was able to stick with the group in front. Unfortunately from about lap fourteen onwards a drop in front tyre performance meant that I lost confidence and so I slowed a little in order to be able to finish the race. In race two I thought I’d found a solution, having changed both the tyre and the setting but the situation was worse. I didn’t have the same feeling with the bike as in race 1. But anyway, overall I’m very pleased with these last two race weekends. I’ve been able to score good points in all four races without making mistakes. It’s been a useful experience ahead of the IDM championship that I’m about to start, and I thank the team for having given me this opportunity.”
Stefano Cecconi – Team Principal –
“It’s undoubtedly been a positive weekend. Here in Holland we’ve again come close to victory in both races, further proof of the hard work being carried out by the team and riders as well as the potential of our Panigale. Chaz rode brilliantly, we were just missing that little extra with which to make the difference and so we’ll continue to work in preparation for Imola, where we anxiously await Davide’s return. A special thanks goes to Javier for the work he’s done over the last two weekends. We had no doubt as to his talent and he didn’t let us down. Now we wish him and the 3C Racing Team lots of luck for the IDM championship that’s about to begin.”
