You are here

SBK, Melandri: The Lausitzring? Hard to be competitive without the test

Davies: "The Ducati is also fast in the wet, but we still need to take a step forward"

SBK: Melandri: The Lausitzring? Hard to be competitive without the test

Share


The two-day test at the Lausitzring also saw Ducati take to the track with Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri. Despite rain, the two Aruba riders spoke of their positive impressions of the German track. The spotlight was on the Italian, who made his debut at the German track with the Panigale.  

It was an important test for us - commented #33 - mostly because I didn’t know the track and it would have been really difficult to be competitive in Friday’s free-practice sessions without a reference. The track itself is fun, but it’s not an easy one to learn because the corner radiuses are a bit peculiar and most of all because the bumps force you to take unusual lines.

Rain didn't stop the Italian.

Still, we managed to almost complete our work load - he continued - We just lacked a bit of time towards the end to fine-tune the details, but it was also important to lap in the rain. This track has little grip in the wet, so it’s a good benchmark, and we found a good feeling in these conditions.

There is confidence on his face.

“As the rain started to intensify, we decided not to take risks and ended our session. It’s been two challenging days, but we laid some good foundations to start from during the race weekend.”

After the Laguna Seca weekend, which saw him triumph in race 1, Chaz Davies was also back on board his red bike. The gap to Rea seems impossible to close now, but the Welshman continues to work hard so that he can be ready for the next round.

On the first day we didn’t really stay within our usual window, and we experimented a bit. So, I was looking forward to this morning, to get back to what we know and gauge our level more in depth."

Chaz has no intention of settling.

We still have room for improvement but I'm happy with the way the Panigale R felt in its more usual setup. We did some important work. We had a good list of things to try and I think we learned something interesting."

The rain doesn't appear to have hindered the Aruba rider.

“It was important to lap in the wet, as I think we improved the setup for those conditions, so I’m really happy with that - added Davies -Physically I’m OK, I just felt a little back ache on the first day, like in Laguna Seca, but it wasn’t an issue. Now we’ll take some time off to recharge ahead of the next challenge.”

Translated by Heather Watson
__

Related articles