A good but not great Friday for Team Go Eleven and Chaz Davies on the Misano track! The sun and the high temperature of the asphalt marked today’s sessions, which are essential for finding the right set-up in view of the very important days of Saturday and Sunday.
In FP 1 the Go Eleven Team adapted the Estoril bike configuration for the Romagna track, making lot of laps with the harder solution at the rear; unfortunately Chaz couldn’t take part at the Misano tests during the winter, so there were no valid references from which to start. At the end, feeling quite at ease on the bike, he tried the new Pirelli solution at the rear, having an excellent response and improving his Best lap by about a second and finishing in the Top 5.
Free Practice 1:
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 1.34.848
P 2 M. Rinaldi + 0.054
P 3 G. Gerloff + 0.075
P 4 C. Davies + 0.543
In the afternoon Chaz and the staff tested the bikes and tyres, covering almost the full race distance, with the same tyres. Excellent datas collected and a good race pace, so much so that the Welsh rider set his best lap in the fourteenth lap. Unfortunately at the end of the session he couldn’t take advantage of the new tyre due to a small crash, just as he was in line for a good jump forward. No problem either to the bike or to the rider, who got up and finished the session. So, probably, the timesheet doesn’t reflect the real potential, but surely there are still a couple of details to fix.
Free Practice 2:
P 1 M. Rinaldi 1.34.334
P 2 A. Lowes + 0.294
P 3 J. Rea + 0.514
…
P 12 C. Davies + 1.197
Saturday would be a decisive day for the Home Round; for the first time the Superbike riders will experience the double qualifying tyre, Superpole will be a very tight and delicate session!
Chaz Davies (Rider):
“Today it has been a little bit tough, it has been a year since we rode here and no testing in the winter. There is a new surface here, so I felt like I had a little bit to learn today, to try to get myself at the speed. Probably we could have done a little bit of a better job, we didn’t quite put everything together, so we need to do it tomorrow. I think it will help to have a night to sleep on it and adjust some data with the guys. Overall I am optimistic because I felt there is plenty of room for improvement and I think we can do that!”
The Saturday of Team Go Eleven on the home track did not go in the best way; a crash in Race 1, while he was fighting for sixth position, forced Chaz to finish at the bottom of the standings.
After yesterday, the technicians made some changes both on the front and on the rear, to allow Chaz to find the right confidence with his Ducati V4 RS. In FP 3 the Welsh rider rode without taking too many risks, with the aim of evaluating the changes made during the night.
Free Practice 3:
P 1 M. Rinaldi 1.34.018
P 2 S. Redding + 0.308
P 3 T. Razgatlioglu + 0.368
…
P 16 C. Davies + 1.346
Superpole is always a very special session, because it affects the rest of the weekend and provides the starting grid for two of the three races scheduled. The number 7 was able to make good use of the first qualifying tyre, immediately placing himself in the top 10, in order to guarantee a good starting position for Race 1. He came back to the pits, quick tyre change and was immediately on the track again for the second time attack. Unfortunately, due to some traffic, he was unable to take advantage of the Q and improve his Best lap. Fourth row and tenth position on the starting grid.
Superpole:
P 1 J. Rea 1.33.416
P 2 T. Razgatlioglu + 0.099
P 3 S. Redding + 0.118
…
P 10 C. Davies + 1.037
Race 1 started with 48 degrees of asphalt, pushing almost all the riders to opt for the new Pirelli solution at the rear. Chaz had a good start, entering ninth position; in the first laps he managed to pass Bautista and Mahias without wasting too much time in the battle. He then launched in pursuit of Tom Sykes’ BMW and Alex Lowes’ Kawasaki, which were in sixth and fifth place respectively. The pace shown was not bad, in line to compete for the positions close to the podium. Unfortunately, towards the middle of the race, he crashed into turn 4, losing the front. Bike on the gravel and the race over, despite he managed to restart at the back of the group. A crash similar to yesterday’s one in FP 2, but no consequences for the rider. The feeling, however, is still not the best and we felt the lack of testing on this track compared to the other Ducati riders. A quite big change is needed for tomorrow, to earn those few tenths that can make a difference!
Race 1 :
P 1 M. Rinaldi 33’23.457
P 2 T. Razgatlioglu + 3.657
P 3 J. Rea + 5.104
…
NC C. Davies Crashed
Chaz Davies (Rider):
“I am obviously disappointed of not finishing the Race. I was ok, in the average, for what concern the feeling for the first part of the race, then I started to have a little of vibration issue and struggling in a couple of areas. I tried to do my best to ride around the issue, but honestly I couldn’t really find a way to do it. So I was just trying to find the pace, but then I crashed. I am more disappointed for the feeling, I didn’t feel like anything was too good today and I don’t have a good feeling with the bike too, here in Misano. So we need to understand exactly what’s going on and we need to improve for tomorrow!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“Sometimes we celebrate and sometimes not, the important thing is to try always and in any case, and Chaz never backs down. Since yesterday we have been struggling with some problems that limit him, he can’t ride as he wants, and we didn’t expect to find ourselves in this condition on the Misano track. Here we were unable to take part to the winter tests due to Covid, and this certainly put us at a disadvantage, but we still have to try to collect the maximum. Now let’s think about tomorrow, we still have two races to bring out the best! ”
Sunday
Unfortunately there is not much to say about today; Chaz crashed in Superpole Race, injuring his right shoulder, so he had been forced to raise the white flag after a few laps of Race 2.
The day seemed to have started well, the Welsh rider had a better feeling with the bike right from the Warm Up. In Superpole Race, however, after a contact at the Turn 2 with Mahias, he fell to the ground, hardly hitting his shoulder and right arm.
Superpole Race:
P 1 M. Rinaldi 15’50.711
P 2 T. Razgatlioglu + 0.485
P 3 J. Rea + 1.865
….
DNF Chaz Davies
Declared fit, in race two Chaz wanted to line up regularly on the track, despite the pain in his right shoulder. After a few laps in which he struggled a lot in all the right-hand corners, he preferred to return to the box so as not to force the injury too much.
Race 2:
P 1 T. Razgatlioglu 33’24.487
P 2 M. Rinaldi + 1.286
P 3 J. Rea + 2.987
…
DNF Chaz Davies
Chaz will now undergo further visits to rule out any kind of problem, will have three weeks to rest before returning to the track at Donington. It’s fundamental to forget this unlucky weekend at home, recover one hundred percent and return to the main positions. The whole Go Eleven Team is sorry not to have given a show on the track to the fans present in the stands, but unfortunately that’s racing and it is part of the game.
Chaz Davies (Rider):
“Unfortunately not a good weekend and not a good day at all! In the Superpole Race I thought like we had maybe improved the bike a little bit, for what I felt from the Warm Up lap, so I was charged up for the Race, trying to put my self in the first couple of rows for the Main Race. I had a good start, then from turn 1 to turn 2 I was on the inside, when we went left I didn’t anticipate how much Mahias was gonna stop and I just caught his rear wheel. My bike was quite upright, I crashed and I landed very hard on my shoulder. I tried to recover the best condition possible between the two races to reduce my pain, but I knew it would have been really tough. I had no power on the right corners and in the hard breakings, here there are so many. The left was ok, but the right was very difficult. I did a few laps and the pain was increasing and increasing and I continue loosing the power and the control a little bit. It just made no sense to continue. I could have got a couple of points, but I would have been in a bad place and in a bad feeling in the end, and possibly do more damage. Now I will do a shoulder check and have a rest for a couple of days and awfully be ok for Donington!”
Denis Sacchetti (Team Manager):
“Unfortunately today everything went wrong, Chaz did well to stop in the race, here at Misano if the right shoulder is not at 100% it is dangerous to ride and it would have been useless to try to finish the race, also because he would have risked damaging his shoulder further and we need Chaz to be 100% fit for the next race. We are sorry, because from the home race it would always be nice to come out with a good result. The important thing is to keep morale high and be aware that we have all the credentials to be back already from Donington.”
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