Aruba Ducati’s Chaz Davies wrapped up the European leg of WorldSBK pre-season testing at the top of the Portimao timesheets, setting a 1’41.813 to beat brother-in-law Eugene Laverty on the Milwaukee Aprila by a little under two tenths with Lorenzo Savadori’s works RSV4 in third and only 0.041s further back.
Davies focused on getting back his feeling with the Panigale after a two-month break while also evaluating various engine, electronics and chassis upgrades, and make several setup comparisons.
“We did a lot of work in the past two days, as well as in Jerez, and overall we can be happy with the results. We completed a detailed program to evaluate all the technical upgrades, with good feedback. We were also lucky with the weather, because the rain only kept us in the pits during the first few hours on Saturday,” said Davies.
“Despite the fact that some areas were repaved, the track has gotten a bit bumpier since we last raced here and, consequently, it wasn’t easy to find the best possible setup. These tests, after a two-month break, were also crucial to allow me to get back the feeling I had on the bike towards the end of last year. Only in Portugal, we clocked more than 700 kilometers.
“The team has done a great job, and we’re optimistic ahead of the season opener in Australia, where we’ll take advantage of the final tests to fine-tune the details.”
The KRT Kawasaki team did not test at Portimao after heading the previous two days at Jerez.
Portimao times
1 Chaz Davies Aruba Ducati 1’41.813
2 Eugene Laverty Milwaukee Aprilia 1’42.002
3 Lorenzo Savadori Milwaukee Aprilia 1’42.043
4 Leon Haslam Puccetti Kawasaki 1’42.300
5 Leon Camier MV Agusta 1’42.399
6 Alex Lowes Pata Yamaha 1’42.533
7 Michael Van Der Mark Pata Yamaha 1’42.794
8 Marco Melandri Aruba Ducati 1’43.344
9 Nicky Hayden Honds Racing 1’43.492
10 Shane Byrne (BSB) Be Wiser Ducati 1’43.644
11 Stefan Bradl Honda Racing 1’43.696
12 Raffaele De Rosa Althea BMW 1’43.708
13 Xavi Fores Barni Ducati 1’43.800
14 Riccardo Russo Yamaha 1’43.925
15 Tati Mercado Ioda Aprilia 1’44.501
16 Glenn Irwin (BSB) Be Wiser Ducati 1’44.718
17 Markus Reiterberger Althea BMW 1’44.820
