Chaz Davies turned into a Welsh charger as he finished fourth in the World Superbikes opener in Italy on Saturday.

The Knighton-born flier started ninth after a disappointing qualifying session at Misano and slipped to last after being forced off the track on the opening lap of the 21-lap race.

But Davies then started picking off a series of rivals on his Ducati Panigale R bike in a bid to try and get onto the podium in the team’s home race.

Davies had to settle for fourth as he was unable to reel in Michael van der Mark finishing less than three seconds behind the Dutchman.

The 29-year-old said: “We had a bit of a rough start, as we were pushed off the track. But, these things happen during races, especially after a complicated Superpole session.

“Unfortunately, the rear started to push a lot with the qualifying tyre on, altering the behavior of the bike.

“Anyway, I’m really happy with our pace during the race. Climbing back through the field was definitely fun, even though it’s a shame we just missed the podium.

“Sunday is another day and, with a clean start, we’ll have another go at it.”

Defending champ Jonathan Rea won the race from Kawasaki team-mate Tom Sykes to increase his lead in the World Championship standings.

Rea now leads by 61 points with Davies still in third spot but now 72 points behind his brother-in-law.

Davies will be looking to give the Ducati fans something to cheer in Sunday’s second race.