SBK, Davies: In the dry we would have had the potential for the win

The race on Saturday had highlighted the competitiveness of his Panigale, so much that Chaz Davies seemed to have all his papers in order to take the double on the Lausitzring. Instead, the rain reared its ugly head to compromise the Englishman’s performance, clearly struggling in the wet to the point of having to settle for sixth place, even behind the Ducati ridden by Forés.

It was clear straight away that it was not going to be your day.

“Today the conditions were treacherous. It took me a bit to find my pace, but my top priority was to stay upright and I’m happy to have finished because I did not have the right feeling on the front.”

A step back compared with Race 1.

“It’s a pity that the weather turned on us, but we were all in the same boat. What counts is that we confirmed the steps forward taken in the last tests.”

After yesterday did you have different expectations?

“Probably. In dry conditions we would have had the potential for another win. We’ll try again in two weeks at Magny Cours, with our sights set on second place in the overall standings.”

It certainly went worse for Davide Giugliano. Despite the rain, the rider from Lazio pushed from the start. He even got as far as threatening Rea’s lead, but a highside crushed his dreams of finishing on the podium.

The race for the lead went up in smoke just when you were doing your best.

“I did not expect the crash because I had realized that Rea and I could make the difference in the wet and I was not at the limit. My plan was to wait until the final laps and then attack. I was letting off the throttle, but in the wet it is always a gamble and the tyre suddenly lost grip.”

A Sunday to forget.

“It is really a pity, because I wanted to give the team an important result after Chaz’s win. The positive thing is that we took a step forward in the dry today as well, maintaining a good pace in the warmup. We’ll make up for it at Magny Cours, a track that I like better.”