SBK | Geico US Round, Race2: another second place for Davies

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team closed the Geico US Round at Laguna Seca by repeating Chaz Davies' second place obtained in the first race: the Welshman started well from the third row and, after some frenetic moments in the initial stages, also due to the nature of the track which makes overtaking particularly difficult, he managed to find his rhythm and move up the rankings.

A race to forget, however, for Marco Melandri who, starting from the front row, slipped at turn 5 during the fourth lap in an attempt to stay attached to the leading group, when he was in fourth position.

“In general we can definitely be happy with how this round went. The objective remains victory, but it's still nice to be back fighting at the top. I think we got the most out of it, both from me and from the package. We are back in form after a couple of tough rounds and are not too far behind our main rivals. Today I got a good start but, to be honest, the front didn't give me much confidence in the first laps even though I wasn't pushing to the limit. Then things went back to normal, I found my rhythm and recovered up to second position. We have made great progress in the areas where we suffered in the last two rounds, so we just need to get back to work for Misano and try to sort out the final details” – he commented Chaz Davies.

“Unfortunately, when the grip drops due to high temperatures, the bike becomes difficult to manage if the track is a bit damaged. Today I was losing a lot of time exiting corners and, to try to recover, I was forced to apply a little more force when braking. Laguna Seca is particularly demanding on the front, although I didn't expect to be able to lose it in that corner. It's a shame, because we started very well on Friday but as the conditions changed we struggled. We look forward to making up for it at Misano, where we achieved our first victory last year and we know we can be competitive" – he said Marco Melandri.

“As always, Laguna Seca delivered some exciting racing. Chaz and the whole team did their best, bringing home the best possible result, a double podium which gives us hope for the next races. We feel sorry for Marco, we were hoping for a better result after yesterday's good comeback but unfortunately his race ended early when he was fully fighting for the podium. All we have to do is work hard and prepare as best we can for the next race in Misano" – he declared Seraphim Foti, Team Manager.