Goldbet BMW’s Chaz Davies could not emulate the podium finish that he had in the first World Superbike race at Laguna Seca, as a front brake problem meant he had to retire to his garage after only three laps in race two.
The Welshman crashed in the warm-up session yesterday morning, and his bike was repaired in time for the last race of the day, but Davies felt there was an issue in the braking system and decided to retire for safety reasons while he was lying in fifth, his team-mate Marco Melandri ended the race in third.
The Powys resident felt he could have been at the sharp end with the leading riders and is confident he can make up for his DNF at the next round and claim another podium, like the second place finish he experienced in race one.
“It was very frustrating because the race looked like fun and for sure I would have been in the mix. The bike felt great so I think I would have certainly done my best and tried to win. I think we would have had a good chance,” said Davies.
“With the bike, we had definitely made a step forward from yesterday but unfortunately we did not get to showcase it because we had an issue with the front brake system. After my crash in the warm-up, when I lost the front, we had to replace the brake system. During the sighting lap it felt like there is something not quite right with it, but on the warm-up lap and after the start it was fine.
“But then on the second or third lap, the issue came back. I basically had zero brakes and it was getting too dangerous so it was safer to stop. The guys will now check what caused the problem. Now we are heading to Magny Cours, where my target is to again fight for wins and podiums.”