Britain’s Chaz Davies got his 2016 World Superbike winter test programme underway with two days at Portimao with the successful introducton of new Ohlins forks and an all-new electronics package.

Welshman Davies, along with returning team-mate Davide Giugliano,completed a total of 119 and 77 laps respectively on the 2016 specification of the Panigale R, laying the foundations in terms of a base setup for the upcoming season.

As for the latest upgrades, the Welshman and the Italian gave a positive feedback on both chassis and electronics, focusing primarily on the new Ohlins front forks and the latest versions of anti-spin and engine-brake strategies. Davies’ quickest lap was a 1’42.7 - fractionally slower than he was in qualifying at the Portugese track last year.

“In the first day, we focused entirely on the new electronics, especially considering that we only had half a day of track time since the tarmac was humid in the beginning. We’ve found some advantages compared with 2015, but we still have some tweaks to make,” said Davies.

“Also, we confirmed that we’re heading in the right direction with the new fork. Today, we wrapped up the session with a race simulation, which we learned a lot from. In general, we worked methodically, without rushing anything, to understand the new parts. I’m definitely satisfied and ready to move forward at Jerez.”