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SBK, Davies: "Ducati has not yet shown its strength"

"We'll be at the same level as our rivals in Australia. The injury? Adrenaline during the race will be the drug that prevents me from feeling any pain"

SBK: Davies: "Ducati has not yet shown its strength"

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During the winter break, Chaz Davies had time to get married and enjoy a much-deserved holiday. His knee, though, still seems to be causing some problems, but he is confident ahead of the new season. The Welshman will leave for Australia in a few days' time and it is there that he will begin his championship fight.

Chaz, let's start with your health. how are you feeling?

“I could have done without this injury, because it's taken a while to recover fromI'm trying to remain optimistic, and adrenaline during the race will act like a drug and take away any pain (he smiles).

Moving on to testing at Jerez and Portimao, where the red bike appeared to suffer with respect to the Kawasaki.

“The tests were strange, particularly considering my physical condition. I'm pleased with the work I completed with the team, as we had chance to test various material in preparation for Phillip Island”.

He does not appear overly concerned about the stopwatch.

“We haven't demonstrated anything yet – reveals the Ducati rider - of course, we know we need to take a step forward, trying to reach the limit. We are suffering with certain aspects of the bike, like corner entry, but I think we'll be able to deal with this”.

Then there is the new regulation.

It's very difficult to interpret, seeing as Dorna can do as it wishes. The new rules have clearly given Honda and Yamaha a helping hand, but we won't know anything for sure until we race".

Johnny Rea remains the obvious favourite.

“the championship is long. The key will be consistency, and so we need to be patient. I'm sure that we'll be at the same level as our rivals at Phillip Island”.

Essentially, the tests didn't reflect the players real potential.

“Tests are a separate thing. Many riders needed to set a fast time, but this wasn't our priority. Unfortunately we suffered more than we should have at Portimao, but I'm feeling confident about the updates that will arrive in Australia”.

A final comment on the V4...

“I don't know when I'll test it yet. I'm very curious, because the new bike will allow us to take an important step forward”.    

Translated by Heather Watson
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