We talked a lot about Jonathan Rea needing a good result, especially coming back to the victory in a friendly track like Imola, but not too many words were said for Chaz Davies and his return to the podium. The Briton did not start really well this year, suffering a lack of confidence with his back and results were not so good, mostly comparing it to his teammate’s one.

Davies had a good relationship with Imola track and knew that Italian GP would have been a really good chance for him to shine again and increasing his mental state and so he did, first of all conquering a stunning pole position on Saturday ahead of Jonathan Rea, who dominated every session till that moment. Anyway, luck was not on Chaz’s side during Race 1, as long as the Briton suffered an electronic problem which forced him to retire and losing a great opportunity to fight with Kawasaki rider or at least getting a secure podium.

Briton’s frustration was high and you could see (honestly I do not know if that was showed on TV) when he came back into the box; Davies stopped his bike really hard with a really, really strong brake in which there was even a wheelie from his rear tyre. After that, his “f*** off” was clear despite having still his helmet on and you could read in his eyes how disappointed he was.

Partial redemption for Chaz in Superpole Race, where he managed to beat his teammate Alvaro Bautista and gave everything he had to catch Jonathan Rea being able to do also the fastest lap of the race, which was also a record one. Davies’ chances to win gone away just due to a little mistake done by him during the first lap at the last chicane going a little bit wide letting Rea and Bautista through.

Not any single chance then for Ducati rider to reach again the podium in Race 2 due to cancellation, but overall Superpole Race podium was a great result for him. Chaz in the interviews during the afternoon told us that he is hoping a new Championship will start for him from now on, highlighting also that Jerez’s test before Race weekend would be crucial to confirm the progress made in Imola.

https://www.motorlat.com/notas/wsbk/11062/is-jerez-gonna-be-another-alvaro-bautistas-dominance

This could be a great news for the show which needs another contender for wins and podiums, but especially for Alvaro Bautista, who could put a bike between him and Jonathan Rea, getting even more points in some races. But, at the same time, it could be a bad news for the Spaniard; Chaz surely does not want to give any victories and will try to do everything to put his bike in front of his teammate.

So yes, maybe a new Championship has started, but not just for Chaz Davies; everyone should pay attenction to the Briton from Ducati, who showed during the years how fast and competitive he is.