Characteristics specific to the undulating Imola circuit and not just the heavy rain were a big factor in the decision to cancel the second World Superbike Championship race, Chaz Davies has revealed.
A shower ahead of the final race of the weekend in Italy caused a delay of more than an hour before officials – with input from the riders – opted to cancel it altogether.
Though he came into the race as a rider with plenty of gain from competing having shown strong pace at Imola this weekend, Davies says the nature of the Italian venue with its inclines and downhill sections – which were causing water to collect – and its long length that made conditions variable over a single lap meant it wasn’t possible to guarantee a safe race.
"It’s a bit of a shame we never got the chance to do race 2 here at Imola but unfortunately in the wet this track has quite a few limits,” he said.
“Imola is not a normal circuit, and with these ups and downs you get a lot of standing water especially in the corners and these conditions meant that they had to cancel today’s race. It was the right decision, but I’m sorry for all the fans who stayed here in the rain all afternoon just to see us race.
Perhaps the biggest loser from not competing after seeing hopes of a win from pole position scuppered by technical issues, Davies was nonetheless positive about the big step forward made on the Aruba.it Ducati for him this weekend.
“The positive thing is that we managed to do the sprint race, and judging by the result, it was a pity not to have been able to do the full-length second race.
“After a tough start to the season, I’m starting to see the light and my feeling with the Panigale V4 R is improving all the time. I go home from Imola knowing that I’ve made a lot of progress in view of the next races."
