Chaz Davies was the fastest man in World Superbike free practice one at Imola as the Welshman took his Panigale around the Italian circuit in an impressive time of 1’48.056.
Davies time was backed up by his returning team-mate Davide Giugliano, as his 1’48.275 was good enough for second and it consolidated Ducati’s dominance on a track they always felt suited their bikes.
Having been out through injury since the very first round, Giugliano’s impressive lap will have helped him settle back into surroundings as he seeks to get his season back on track.
The Kawasakis of Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea had no answer during the first session but both men will be happy at just easing themselves into the weekend, with plenty of racing ahead of them. Sykes’ 1’48.320 was good enough for third on the time sheets and Rea was just behind on a 1’48.320.
Leon Haslam could be slightly disappointed by his opening performance in fifth on a 1’48.779 but Imola is a circuit the Derby man likes and similar to the Kawasaki men, he is likely to have more to offer as the weekend progresses.
David Salom and Ayrton Badovini took sixth and seventh in the opener, with times that will please their respective teams but the Pata Honda team of Sylvain Guintoli and Michael Van Der Mark continued their struggles, with the current world champion ninth and Van Der Mark languishing in twelfth.
With plenty of time left neither will be too worried just yet, and a man who can add to his progress is Leon Camier - his 1’49.850 was able to place him eighth and the MV Agusta is working in tandem with the Englishman at the moment, which is good news for him and his team as they have endured something of a torrid time so far.
Voltcom Suzuki’s woes apparently continued in Italy, with Alex Lowes only able to place himself tenth on a 1’50.052 and Randy De Puniet way down in 17th with a 1’53.044.
