After claiming two podiums in the season opener in Phillip Island (Australia), the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will take it to the track once again this week in Buriram (Thailand) for the second round of the World Superbike championship.

In the opening round, both Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies constantly fought at the top, taking third and fourth place provisionally in the general standings with 29 and 26 points respectively to their tally. On a track characterized by a significantly different layout, the team’s goal is twofold: to confirm the competitiveness of the 2016-spec Panigale R, and to continue its development in cooperation between the track and the racing department.

Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34)

“Australia’s results were invigorating. The Panigale R has undoubtedly become more competitive and, thanks to the great job done by the whole team and the increased experience with the package, we managed to start off on the right foot after my long, forced hiatus from races. I’ve never raced in Thailand, where we’ll have an extra variable to consider with the heat but, to this end, Phillip Island offered a valuable test. Physically, I still don’t feel 100 percent but I’m getting closer to an optimal fitness level and I’ll be ready.”

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7)

“In Phillip Island, we’ve been close to winning both races. Of course crashing out of Race Two wasn’t ideal, but those things happen when you’re going for the top prize and I’ve put it behind me already. I’ve stayed in Asia to train and get myself acquainted with the heat and humidity, so I feel ready. Last year, in Thailand, we struggled with the long straights. The Panigale R has improved a lot since then, but we need to keep pushing the development forward to find a little extra in terms of top speed.”

Circuit information

Country: Thailand

Name: Chang International Circuit

Length: 4.554 km

Corners: 12

Race distance: 20 laps / 91.080km

RECORDS

Best lap: 1:33.817 (Jonathan Rea, 2015)

Superpole: 1:33.382 (Jonathan Rea, 2015)

2015 RESULTS

Race 1: Rea (Kawasaki), Haslam (Aprilia), Sykes (Kawasaki)

Race 2: Rea (Kawasaki), Haslam (Aprilia), Lowes (Suzuki)

Rider information

Chaz Davies

Bike: Ducati Panigale R

Race number: 7

Age: 29 (Born 10/02/1987 in Knighton, Wales)

SBK races: 103

SBK wins: 9

SBK podiums: 33

Davide Giugliano

Bike: Ducati Panigale R

Race number: 34

Age: 26 (Born 28/10/1989 in Rome, Italy)

SBK races: 92

SBK wins: –

SBK podiums: 10

Weekend schedule (CET +6)

Friday

10:15 – 11:15 SBK Free Practice 1

13:30 – 14:30 SBK Free Practice 2

Saturday

10:45 – 11:00 SBK Free Practice 3

13:30 – 13.45 SBK Superpole 1

13:55 – 14:10 SBK Superpole 2

16:00 SBK Race 1

Sunday

11:00 – 11:15 SBK Warm-up

16:00 SBK Race 2