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SBK, Laguna Seca, Giugliano: "A fantastic race, a special podium!"

"My career nearly came to an end at this track last year", Davies: "The break will help us to understand where to improve"

Laguna Seca, Giugliano: "A fantastic race, a special podium!"

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After the disappointment of Saturday, the Ducati riders scored a double podium come Sunday. A result that goes some way to making up for the first race, in which both Davies and Giugliano crashed out while battling with the Kawasakis. The Aruba Ducati riders rounded off the American round with a second and third place finish, with Giugliano putting an end to his own particular chapter at the track as well as confirming his current upward curve.

Leading after three laps, Davide was able to maintain this position even after the race restart. A win at Laguna Seca, which he lost out on by just a few tenths, would have been almost cathartic for the Italian: “What a fantastic race! I had so much fun, but it’s been difficult both physically and mentally, because it was paramount not to make mistakes while battling against Chaz. We’ve been both fair and I think we made it fun for people on track and at home. For me, to score a podium here is special because last year my season was put to an end in Laguna Seca and my career was almost destroyed. Yesterday was tough for the whole team, both Chaz and I crashed out while fighting for the podium with a good pace, but some small adjustments allowed us to make the most of our current potential. Now we’ll take a break but we won’t stop working to improve.”

Chaz Davies is also consoled to a certain extent.  After getting caught up in traffic at the start, he was able to climb back up from seventh place. Reaching his team-mate in the final stages, he starred in a thrilling duel over the last seven laps, in which the leaders' positions were constantly changing, before closing third, just five tenths from second place.

Now, despite Rea's 'zero', his aim is to close out the season, which resumes in September, by fighting for the win race after race: “Today went a bit better. After what happened yesterday, I concentrated on finishing the race first of all, initially focusing just on my rhythm. I wanted to avoid being particularly aggressive early on, but I was stuck in the group at the start and had to ask a lot to the rear tyre to recover on Davide and Tom. However, there is still an element of regret about what could have been: I think we could have won today, but I went wide at the Corkscrew, possibly because of the wind, and in the last laps I didn’t have enough grip to try more overtakes. It was important to go into the break with a podium, and we’ll use this time to understand where to improve.”

Translated by Heather Watson
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