After winning Race 1 in a dominant fashion, Chaz Davies did the double under the floodlights in Qatar, home of the last round of the 2016 WorldSBK championship. The Welshman’s sixth consecutive race win and eleventh overall crowned him as the rider with the most wins this season. To further highlight his form, Davies also finished the season with the highest number of fastest laps (10).
Second at the start, Davies took the lead in lap 1 to progressively pull away from his rivals, led by Sykes. During lap 8, the race was red-flagged due to oil on track, resetting the gap. At the restart, Davies imposed his pace once again and neutralized Rea’s comeback before the 2016 champion ceded second position in both the race and the championship to his teammate Sykes.
After regularly taking part to the WUP session, finished in 14th position, Davide Giugliano was declared unfit for the race due to the worsening conditions of his injured right shoulder, which was further damaged by a contact during Race 1.
Chaz Davies: I wasn’t good enough for 2nd
“To do the double here, a circuit where we struggled last year, is a sign of much we turned things around. In the first half of the race I was just managing the gap, but after the restart it was a fast, short race. It was difficult to see the pit-board and I wasn’t looking at the big screens, so I didn’t really know how to manage the race, but then I saw Rea was coming back so I pushed a bit more in the last laps and did all I could to bring home the win. It’s bittersweet, because it wasn’t enough to secure second place in the championship, but I saw that coming. We’ve been the fastest out there since the summer break, and we’ll try to keep improving everyday, take it into next year and be as consistent as possible to get the big trophy in the end. Thanks everyone for all the support!”
Davide Giugliano: There couldn’t be a sadder way to say goodbye
“As my shoulder was still healing, I knew that any kind of blow could intensify the pain, but I still wanted to try to finish the season on a high note. Unfortunately, the contact in Race 1 strained the tendons and aggravated the situation. There couldn’t have been a sadder way to say goodbye to the team and Ducati, but I carry many beautiful memories within me. I think that both me as a rider and the bike grew a lot together in all these years. I learned many lessons, and it’s been an intense journey because I believe that having me as a rider elicits a lot of emotions, for better and for worse. I want to give my special thanks to my crew, as they always worked until late night to give me the best tools to race. Also thanks to the whole team and Ducati, which have always made me feel appreciated and worked so hard. I wish them all the best!”
Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko