Source: Supplied.

At the Motul Italian Round of the Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) on Saturday Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took a run-away victory in a race which was shortened due to a red flag.

Davies sprinted away to the win, joined on the podium by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) also featuring on the podium.

Davies made a brilliant start from pole and was untouchable, leading by well over six seconds when the race ended early due to a red flag, after a big crash for Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) at turns 17 to 18, which meant track conditions were not safe for racing to continue.

Laverty walked away from the incident which saw his Aprilia RSV4 RF go up in flames and he was taken immediately to the medical centre for a check up after the high speed incident.

With 12 of 19 scheduled laps having been completed at the time of the crash the rider placements at that stage were taken as the final race results, with Davies therefore claiming his second win of the season from a chasing Rea and Melandri.

Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was fourth, the Englishman trailing Melandri by less than a second, whilst Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) continued his good form in fifth.

Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) produced a good ride in sixth, whilst Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and his teammate Alex Lowes were seventh and eighth respectively. Roman Ramos (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) and Stefan Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) completed the top 10.

In World Supersport, PJ Jacobsen took pole for the fifth race of the season with a 1m51.611s lap around the 4.936km Imola track. He will be joined on the front row on Sunday by Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) and Christian Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing).

Leading Australian was Anthony West (EAB West Racing Yamaha) in P20, as Lachlan Epis (Response RE Racing Kawasaki) lines up 30th and newcomer Giuseppe Scarcella (Team Lorini Honda) – in place of countryman Aiden Wagner – rounds out the field in 36th.

Mika Perez (WILSport Racedays) secured pole position ahead of the third round of Supersport 300, leading Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing) and Borja Sanchez (Halcourier Racing).

It was Italian dominance in STK1000, as Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team) took pole from Luca Vitali (Nuova M2 Racing) and Roberto Tamburini (PATA Yamaha Official STK 1000 Team). Mike Jones (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team) will start seventh and Glenn Scott (Agro On-Benjan Kawasaki) 26th.