Relief for Davies with podium return

Chaz Davies has poured praise on his Aruba.it Racing Ducati squad on his return to the podium for the first time this season with third place in the Aragon opener.

The Welsh rider was involved in a race-long fight with Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes, which allowed team-mate Alvaro Bautista to skate clear at the front, but due to late issue the factory Ducati rider had to settle for third place despite a late scare with Team Go Eleven Ducati’s Eugene Laverty who clipped him on the final lap before tipping off.

The result marks Davies’ first rostrum since race two at last season’s Magny-Cours round in September, and his maiden podium with the new V4 R, which he has struggled to get to grips with compared to his team-mate through a combination on injury and setup.

“I’m really satisfied with today’s result, more so for my team and my side of the garage than me, because they’ve been working so hard all through the winter,” Davies said. “It’s not easy when things are not going so well, but we’re always working hard looking for answers and trying our best whether its tenth or here on the podium.

“I had a nice battle with Johnny and Alex, I really enjoyed it. It felt like I probably had better pace but I wasn’t able to get out of the group.

“I had a couple of issues at the end of the race that kept me out of the fight for second otherwise things were quite solid with the guys running for the podium this season.”