On a circuit where he has won seven times in the past, the Welshman had a first day of high-quality testing, only trailing in the combined ranking by Toprak Razgatlioglu. Promising for the rest of the weekend.
By joining the Go Eleven team this winter after seven seasons spent with the Ducati factory team, we had the right to wonder about the level of performance of Chaz Davies. But that was without taking into account the fact that the British rider still has a state-of-the-art Panigale V4 R, and that this first round of the Superbike season does not take place, as usual, at Phillip Island, but in Aragon, on Motorland where number 7 has won…seven times in the past.
Davies thus immediately dispelled doubts by taking the second time in the morning, behind the unattainable Toprak Razgatlioglu on his Yamaha, before leading his boat to first place of the timesheet at the end of EL2.
???? @chazdavies7 tops FP2 ahead of @jonathanrea and @Reddingpower ✊#AragonWorldSBK pic.twitter.com/nNpxp2GT5I
- WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) May 21, 2021
Idyllic debut with Go Eleven
So of course, he remains second in the combined times this evening, still three tenths behind his Turkish rival, but the state of mind demonstrated today by the Briton can only bode well for the future. “ The day was most positive. It was the first day of the “real” season, which this year starts quite late, in May », Confirms the person concerned. “We were the second fastest in cooler conditions this morning, and the fastest in the afternoon as temperatures rose. It's a positive start with Go Eleven, and I'm happy with the way we worked today. »
Same story from the team’s team manager, Denis Sachetti: “ We couldn't have hoped for a better flight ! » laughs the latter. " We It's only Friday, and we are only in the first session of a championship that promises to be long, but it was important both for us and for our driver to measure ourselves against the clock, and to get a precise idea of the work accomplished during the winter tests. »
Focus and distrust for the race
Even more than the result, it is the way in which it was obtained which commands respect: A methodical and ultra-rigorous approach to the weekend, always with the essential in mind, namely race performance. . On this subject, Davies used during the majority of the second free practice session the same tires as those worn in the morning, in order to judge their deterioration over the length of a race.
Enough to consider these with more serenity, while the start of Race 1 is scheduled for tomorrow at 14 p.m. “ We set a plan yesterday and we followed it », resumes Davies. “ Today the conditions were much warmer than during [winter] testing, and therefore we also have race settings dedicated to colder conditions. »
In the end, the Welshman only changed tires at the very end of FP2 to chase the time, successfully. But if the first place acquired this afternoon undoubtedly constitutes a reason for satisfaction (how could it be otherwise?), its author prefers to remain cautious, like a Jonathan Rhea who is wary of ultimately unrepresentative conditions of those who will be encountered over the rest of the weekend.
“It looks like temperatures are going to drop over the next couple of days, so I'm not very sure how representative this afternoon's results are “, warns Davies. “ This could still be a good thing, not in terms of the tires but in terms of the sensations with the bike. We are really close [to the top of the ranking], it all depends on the details. We hope we can continue to improve tomorrow, but I couldn't have asked for a better start to the season! »
Not seeing yourself as too beautiful...
A drop in the mercury is in fact expected for the next two days, and the winner of the last round of the 2020 season (and therefore the latest winner in Superbike), at Estoril, does not see himself looking too good this weekend.
On the contrary, everything remains to be done according to him to achieve what would be his eighth triumph in Aragón, a goal that has been denied him for the moment since 2018 and a victory in Race 2. « Of course we have a good track record here in Aragón, we have won quite a few races, and we have always been very strong,” he told the official Superbike website. " But If you look at the details, in recent years others have closed the gap and I may have less of an advantage now than I did a few years ago. I don't come here thinking it's going to be a walk in the park, in fact it's quite the opposite. On the contrary, I am ready for a tough battle. »
His adversaries have been warned...
