Davies thought front row place was lost
Welshman pleasantly surprised to feature in all-British front row.
Chaz Davies was Jonathan Rea’s closest challenger as the opening Superpole of the 2015 WorldSBK campaign came to an early end at Phillip Island on Saturday. Afterwards, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team admitted that the front row had not been expected.
“That’s a fair improvement, isn’t it!” Davies acknowledged, having started 11th at Phillip Island last year. “It was kind of strange, the way that came about.
“I was sure the opportunity to get on the front row had gone away from me after I had used pretty much all of the life from my Q (qualifying tyre). I then came across the line and saw the red flag just as I was about the cross the line, so that time got taken away but I got a bit of a lucky ball bounce with the remainder of the session being cancelled. I’m quite happy with the result but the main job is obviously tomorrow.”
With Davies starting second, three-time World Champion Troy Bayliss (covering for the injured Davide Giugliano) will set off from 13th place.
