Aruba Ducati’s Chaz Davies managed to find a significant increase in pace between today’s two World Superbike free practice sessions in Thailand but admitted he wasn’t at his best at the Buriram circuit.
Davies ended the day in seventh on a 1’35.461, 0.832s behind fastest man Michael Van Der Mark but crucially just two-tenths behind title rival Jonathan Rea. The Panigale is losing the business end of six miles per hour down the main straight, so Davies will again have to lay in on the line in corners to keep with the fast Kawasakis.
“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,” said the Welshman, whose country can expect a spanking at Fortress Twickenham tomorrow.
“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.”
