By David Williams
Chaz Davies is ready to resume life at full throttle when the World Superbike series resumes in Spain next week.
Wales’ three-time runner-up to world champion Jonathan Rea has been waiting to get back on his bike in competitive action since February, when the only round of the championship so far took place at Philip Island, Australia.
But after days of testing in Barcelona with his Aruba.it Racing teammate Scott Redding, Davies is eager to start with a bang when the action returns in Jerez.
The season officially relaunches at Circuito de Jerez, just south of Seville, on July 31 to August 2.
“They were two intense days in which we worked well and they were also important to get familiar with this circuit in conditions similar to those we will find during the race weekend,” said Davies.
“All in all, I am satisfied and the aim now is to get to Jerez in the best possible condition.”
Davies, 32, from Presteigne, has come close in recent years to taking the title with the Aruba.it Racing Ducati team but has fallen short, having finished second in 2015, 2017 and 2018 and then sixth last year.
He currently stands eighth in the championship after a disappointing opening round, with teammate Redding up ahead of him in second place.
Davies spent much of lockdown at his home in Andorra, but has recently been testing on his Panigale V4 R with his team in Italy at the track in Misano.
The Barcelona preparation followed and Davies added: “It was very important to get back on track to work again on some of the solutions we already tried at Misano.”