After taking two podiums in the season opener in Australia, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team headed to Thailand for round two of the WorldSBK championship. During the first two free-practice sessions, Chaz Davies and Davide Giugliano had to deal not only with the typical hot conditions (35 degrees in the air, 45 on the track surface), but also with scarce grip on the tarmac, especially in the morning session. However, both Davies and Giugliano managed to make significant strides throughout the day.
Davies took eighth place in the provisional standings, 0.832 seconds behind current leader Michael Vd Mark (who posted a best lap of 1:34.629). Giugliano closed the opening day right behind his teammate, in ninth position (+0.850). Both riders are within less than three tenths of a second from virtual first row and gained direct access to Superpole 2, which will start at 13:55 local time (CET +6) in anticipation of Race One at 16:00.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – 1:35.461 (8th)
“This morning the track was really slippery, especially in the re-surfaced areas, so I didn’t want to take any risks. In the afternoon, we managed to improve our lap times significantly right away, but we still have work to do on the setup and honestly I didn’t ride at my best. Tomorrow’s FP3 will be crucial to make a few adjustments, and we have some ideas for this purpose. There’s not much track time available before Superpole, but it should be enough to understand our potential, and we’re not too far from the frontrunners anyway.”
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) – 1:35.479 (9th)
“It’s still early to make evaluations, but overall I’m happy with my progression, especially considering that I’ve never raced on this track, which theoretically shouldn’t be among the most favorable ones for us. During FP2, I had a small issue with the gearbox and I wasn’t able to brake as precisely as I would have liked, but I still managed to clock laps in the 1:35 mark on used tyres. In terms of pace, we’re more competitive than what it would appear on a single lap. Still, during tomorrow’s Superpole, I’ll try to get that in the bag as well in order to make the most of any opportunities during the race.”
Weekend schedule (CET +6):
Saturday
10:45 – 11:00 SBK Free Practice 3
13:30 – 13.45 SBK Superpole 1
13:55 – 14:10 SBK Superpole 2
16:00 SBK Race 1
Sunday
11:00 – 11:15 SBK Warm-up
16:00 SBK Race 2
