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Davies has no regrets over "risky move" in Phillip Island Race 2

Ducati rider Chaz Davies has stated he was not particularly disheartened by his crash in Sunday's Race 2 at Phillip Island.

Chaz Davies, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team crash

Chaz Davies, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team crash

WorldSBK.com

Podium race1: second place Chaz Davies, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team, first place Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki Racing Team, third place MIchael Van der Mark, Honda WSBK Team
Chaz Davies, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team and Davide Giugliano, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team
Chaz Davies, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team and Davide Giugliano, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team
Chaz Davies, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team
Podium: third place Davide Giugliano, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team
Davide Giugliano, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team, Chaz Davies, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team, Nicky Hayden, Honda WSBK Team and Sylvain Guintoli, Pata Yamaha
Davide Giugliano, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team

Last year's runner-up Davies showed strong form throughout the weekend, challenging reigning champion Jonathan Rea for victory from ninth on the grid in both races.

While he was unable to pass the Kawasaki rider on Saturday, he managed to edge ahead on the penultimate lap of Sunday's showdown, only to drop back on the main straight.

Refusing to give up, he went in too deep next time around, losing control of his bike and crashing.

"Usually I’m able to brake pretty deep, but this time unfortunately I found the limit of the front tyre," said Davies, who rejoined the track and finished 10th.

"I knew it was a risky move, and ideally I wouldn’t have had to try it, but unfortunately Rea erased the small gap I built on the straight.

"Anyway, I’m not disappointed about my race."

Davies has praised the improvements Ducati made over the winter and named top speed as the main aspect the manufacturer still needs to work on.

"We fought for the victory in both races and the bike showed much improvement since last year, especially with the electronics. We just need a bit more top speed.”

Project Director Ernesto Marinelli added: "I’d say the final evaluation is 75 percent positive. We know we’re competitive but we need to erase the gap on the straight to give our riders more margin, so we have our work cut out for us at home."

Strong weekend for Giugliano

Davide Giugliano was also able to showcase the competitiveness of the bike, having taken fourth in Race 1 before securing a podium on Sunday despite small contact with Tom Sykes.

"I struggled a bit more with the heat today, which made us lose some grip," the Italian explained.

"I was expecting it, and therefore kept some margin for the final laps, but touching with Sykes made me lose ground.

"Still, I kept pushing and I’m really happy with the final outcome. This podium stems from hard teamwork, and I think the crew contributed to 60 percent of it while I did the rest."

Following the season opener, Giugliano and Davies sit third and fourth with the standings with 29 and 26 points collected respectively.

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