INTERVIEW
P70
CHAZ DAVIES
Davies believes
the Panigale
is going to
develop into a
winner. Even
before the Evo
rules take over
in 2015.
years I have had at least the opportunity to show I was capable
when I had better bikes than I had
been on previously. I have been
just trying to make the most of
it, and I have done that all of my
career, but it goes hand in hand
with being actually able to win a
race rather than a top 10 being a
good result. It gives you a different frame of mind. It is important
and I am glad the way things have
gone in the past few years. About
changing bikes each year? It is a
massive pain in the arse, really…
You learn so much in one year,
and then you go to winter testing
and jump on something else. You
might go fast in your first test, but
after that every time you jump on
the bike there is something different underneath you. You are
so familiar with something over
a year, then in the first few tests
the next year you feel a little bit
at sea until it slowly becomes the
norm. Then you have a change
of situation and that has been
my situation for the past eight
or nine years. It is great to be in
different situations, and getting
better bikes, factory bikes, but
stability is key. I think if you look
at not just the rider but also the
team, Tom Sykes' results with Kawasaki from 13th or something in
the championship, then straight
to second and then first… He
knows the bike like the back of
his hand, the team knows it well
enough and they can turn it into
the package it is, which makes a
huge difference.
It is nice to just have a straight
two-year deal with Ducati, no options or anything. That is a good
situation to be in. It is also a difficult situation for a rider to get
himself into, because there are
not many teams who can commit for two years, just because of
the lack of money. I am looking
forward to not only next year but
also the year after, being on the
same bike in familiar surroundings. I know it will make a difference.
Some people were surprised how well the Ducati
went in some winter tests at
