Source: Supplied.

Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s Chaz Davies impressed in Portimao’s two-day World Superbike test last week, in what will be the team’s final outing prior to travelling to Australia for Phillip Island’s opener next month.

Davies posted a flying lap of 1m41.813s in Portugal while evaluating various engine, electronics and chassis upgrades developed for the Panigale R and making several set-up comparisons in the process.

“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,” Davies said. “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.

“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 set-up. 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.”

Like the majority of WorldSBK teams, the next time Davies and Aruba.it Racing Ducati teammate Marco Melandri will be on track is scheduled for the official Phillip Island test on 20-21 February. Australia’s STK1000 rider Mike Jones also enjoyed two days of testing at Portimao.