Chaz Davies seized the moment when Kawasaki team-mates Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes pushed each other wide in today’s World Superbike race at Magny-Cours and never looked back.

The Aruba Ducati rider knew he would have to take any opportunity that came his way to get by the Kawasaki Racing Team duo, and says as soon as he saw a chance he went for it.

Sykes had led for most of the race but on the 17th lap of the 21-lap race, Rea made a block pass on his team-mate. As the pair tripped each other up, the Welshman saw his chance and pounced, passing both in one move.

“I took the opportunity when it came and I didn’t think it was going to come,” he said. “To be honest, I really struggled in the early part of the race, I kind of dropped off.

“Tom’s pace was good and I was doing the same kind of pace I was doing on Friday pretty much, just stuck in the mid 38s and that was all I could do without really risking anything at that point.

“Anyway, I let the race come to me a little bit, I was hoping they were going to drop off in the end which they did and obviously they pushed each other wide in the hairpin and I took the opportunity and dropped the hammer then because I knew that was my opportunity to put some distance in between myself and them.”

Davies admitted that until that moment, he was starting to think he wasn’t going to be able to get close enough to have a go for it. “I was really struggling to get a run up on them, to get that opportunity to pass, I couldn’t see it, I didn’t know where I was going to be able to get close enough to have a stab without taking a massive risk.

“I thought I was on my limit at that point in the race and I couldn’t match their laps. I wasn’t waiting, I was just hoping the way I’ve got my bike set might just play out in the last five laps but I didn’t know if I’d be close enough at that point during the race.

"But it did work out in the end and that opportunity came. I took it with both hands and ran. It’s definitely one of the sweetest wins of my career.”