After Chaz Davies suffered a Supermoto crash that re-broke his already injured right collarbone, Portimao's WorldSBK round was going to be a test of grit and guts as well as skill and determination.
Most people would be laid up on the sofa after two such closely spaced collarbone breakages, but Davies explained how he approached the task of riding for real championship points in a worse condition than he had been after his first fracture.
"I worked hard in physio last week and whenever I break a bone I follow a special diet, which is helping,” explained the works Ducati rider. “The problem with what I did is that… it is one thing breaking a collarbone. That is quite a common cycling/motorcycle racing injury. It is not the worst thing, usually you put a plate there and it is quite strong immediately. But if you damage the plate in another fall and you pull the screws out of the bone, and one screw snaps, then you have got a problem.
"That's what I have right now. It is not a simple, straightforward ‘go and try it’. If you crash again - my collarbone is not stable at the moment. The fracture is still open, the screws are now pushing the bones away from each other because they are not in the correct place, there is no thread for the screws because it was ripped out. It is just a mess.”
Getting two fourth places, and fighting hard with Melandri and VDM in race two, looked impossible outcomes as he qualified well out of the automatic Superpole 2 places after a tough Friday at Portimao. Not crashing again was at the forefront of Davies’ thoughts, but he was to fall on Friday in any case.
"I definitely thought about it on Friday – and then I crashed," smiled Davies at the memory of it. "With my experience, you kind of know what you get away with and what you can’t get away with. I felt like I pushed my luck enough during the race on Sunday. I had a few moments with the front and it was a little bit slippery out there. I did not want to overstep the mark. I want to accepted the situation as it is and look forward to being stronger in Magny-Cours.”
