Davies joins SBK League of Nations
Chaz Davies' win for his ParkinGO MTC Aprilia team was a special one for many reasons, but it also brought about a chance-in-a-million statistical landmark in the 25th year of competition in the eni FIM Superbike World Championship.
In winning race two, Welshman Davies gave British riders - that is riders from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Irish riders who race under a British ACU licence - a total of 118 race victories between them. That is, all the individual race wins for British riders, added up to give a combined total.
The last race victory in the class for an Australian rider came in 2008, for Troy Bayliss. That took the total of wins scored by all Australian riders to 118. The last race win in the class for an American rider came in 2009, for Ben Spies. That took the total of wins scored by all American riders to 118. Same as Australia and now the same as the UK.
So as things stand, there is a three-way tie for the most successful ever nation in terms of race wins through SBK history - USA 118, Australia 118 and now UK 118.
The next most successful SBK race-winning nation is Italy, with Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing Team) lifting that total to 90 after his race one win in Germany last weekend. Then comes...? Can you guess? Japan on 62. France has 38 wins, Spain 36, New Zealand 13, Belgium 11, Canada, Germany and Ireland 2 wins each, Austria, Brazil and Portugal all have one race winner each.
