Davies loses valuable championship points with race two crash

Following a fourth and fifth place finish to begin his 2021 WorldSBK campaign, Chaz Davies lost valuable championship points as he crashed on the opening lap of race two. 

Sunday was all about tyre choice and making the correct calls, something Ducati struggled with across all their riders. 

Davies had the intermediate front tyre on his GoEleven Ducati machine for the Superpole race which proved to be the correct decision. 

The Welsh rider finished just off the podium but ahead of Michael Van Der Mar in fifth, however, it was the race two tyre call that put any hopes of repeating that result in jeopardy. 

While race winner Scott Redding gambled on slicks to great effect, most of the grid chose intermediates while Davies surprisingly elected for the wet front. 

It was a decision he regretted immediately. When summing up his mixed day, Davies added: "Today obviously it was really difficult. The Superpole Race was a positive result, we definitely made the right decision with tyres and we had a solid race, finishing P4. 

"For race 2, from the warm up lap I knew we had made the wrong decision with the tyres. 

"I had to decide whether to stop immediately before the race started and put the full slick or start the race. I decided to start the race but I had a wet front tyre, and at Turn 7, on the very first lap I closed the front. 

"Exactly why I am not sure, I could have been a little bit on an extra wet path. But anyway I crashed unfortunately. 

"I picked up the bike, I went to the garage, I put the slick on, then I just tried to enjoy the seventeen laps. I just got the small consolation of best lap of the race and the pace wasn't so bad. 

"I just obviously wished that I made the decision to start on slicks. Anyway it has been good to enjoy the weekend with the team."