Davies hits out at critics

Unlike many of his WSB rivals Chaz Davies (Ducati World Superbike Team) only began testing at Jerez on the third day of track action, making a steady start but still finding some issues after such a positive test the week before in Motorland Aragon.

“Fairly steady away so far,” said Davies early in the afternoon. “We are having a few different things that are going to take a bit of tweaking because this race was quite late on in the season. That means our reference is quite a lot different to what it was then compared to now, with a few different bits. It is taking a bit of fine-tuning and we seem to be struggling for grip at the minute. Apart from that it is just set-up stuff.”

Davies agrees that there is less to change on his machine than many of the four cylinder machines but denies that there will be any inherent new advantage for Ducati in the 2015 technical rules. “It should feel less different for me than some others because all the work that was done in 2014 was with 2015 in mind,” said Davies. “We knew we were not going to win the championship so whatever advantages we found in 2014 we tried to make sure we kept them within the rules for 2015. So on paper it should affect us less than others, but in some respects we were quite a bit down on power.”

Davies also had words for those who are now complaining that the rules will be too lenient on Ducati in 2015.

“I think already a few people seem to have kicked off about the new rules but when you are missing horsepower – and it was pretty evident in Qatar – we are on the back foot and have been all season. People kind of change opinion in one year. We have gone from struggling to finish anywhere near the podium with Checa the year before last. We have come such a long way and now they want to take stuff away from us. People who have had it their own way for three years. They are trying to tweak the rules to their own advantage, they are not happy, throwing their toys out of the pram one test into 2015. It is a bit of a piss-take. We are one test in. We are all going to arrive at Phillip Island and be there or thereabouts. I do not think anybody will have a clear cut advantage.”