Aruba.it Ducati’s Chaz Davies took his sixth win of the 2016 season after, what he described as, an ‘educated guess’ on tyre choice at Magny-Cours saw him conquer in the changeable conditions.
The Welsh rider looked strong in the wet conditions, qualifying third in this morning’s Superpole session. Though the track was still damp by the time the race rolled around, the rain had stopped and the sun was coming out, making the prospect of a pit stop a highly realistic one.
Whilst the majority of the field went with full wet tyres, Davies threw the dice and went for the intermediate compound. The early laps saw the Ducati rider slipping down the order as he fought to stay upright, the conditions akin to ‘riding on ice’. As the track began to dry, Davies’ confidence on the intermediate rubber improved and he was soon upping his pace.
With more and more of the riders ahead of him beginning to pit for either slicks or intermediates, Davies was beginning to make massive gains on the leaders, who had all stayed out on the wet tyres. On lap 15, Davies made a pass for the lead on Lorenzo Savadori and immediately built up a comfortable margin to the slick-shod runners quickly closing in.
Having looked after his tyres, Davies’ gamble spectacularly paid off and he was free to cruise across the line to his second successive race one win.
Tomorrow’s race looks set to be a more straightforward affair, with weather forecasts predicting Sunday to be dry. Having shown well during Friday practice, Davies reckons that he stands a good shot at achieving the double in France, though admits that his bike could still be improved upon tomorrow morning.
“I tried to make an educated guess on tyres, as in the past we haven’t always opted for the best strategy in these conditions. Still, it was somewhat of a gamble and I knew that early on it was just a matter of survival but the reward could be great,” Davies said.
”At first, I just tried to stay on the bike as in some points it felt like riding on ice, but when I saw the gap from the front after the first few laps I realized we could pull it off. It was fun to come back through the field. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be dry and we have a good chance, but we still have room for improvement.”
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