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Davies: "I deserve better" than satellite Ducati ride

Chaz Davies insists he isn't interested in a satellite Ducati World Superbike ride in 2021, and feels he "deserves better" following his victory in last weekend's Barcelona round.

Jamie Klein Sebastian Fränzschky

Edited: Sep 24, 2020, 3:13 PM

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Chaz Davies, ARUBA.IT Racing Ducati, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Team Goeleven

Davies, 33, has been part of the Ducati WSBK stable since 2014, but his seat with the Italian marque's works team has come under increasing threat.

Having been outperformed last year by teammate Alvaro Bautista, the Welsh rider has struggled to keep pace with his new partner Scott Redding for much of the 2020 season, having only finished ahead of the Englishman in races both have finished twice this year.

Amid Michael Ruben Rinaldi's improving form on the Go Eleven Ducati Panigale V4 R, including victory in Aragon earlier this month, there have been suggestions that the Italian rider could replace Davies in the factory team in 2021.

Factory options elsewhere in WSBK are limited, with only Yamaha and Honda each having one seat still available in their 2021 line-ups.

But Davies was adamant last weekend that switching to Go Eleven, or another privateer Ducati team such as Barni Racing, would not be of interest if he loses his current seat.

Asked by Motorsport.com about a move to Go Eleven or Barni, Davies replied: "Honestly speaking, the effort I put in to ride for the best team with the best bike, the best engineers, the best support… I come here to win races and do a job like I did [on Sunday].

"I don’t think that kind of thing is possible in a satellite team. It’s possible, but it’s not consistently possible. For me it’s not as interesting, and I think I deserve better.

"I’ve been consistent with my comments, I tell them where the problem is, but sometimes they look at me [as responsible], and I’m asking them for answers and they look at me."

Read Also:

Rinaldi "deserves" factory Ducati promotion, says Rea

Davies described his win as "super satisfying" as he says it shows that his feedback on which areas the V4 R needed to be improved has been accurate.

"I think the main thing is I prove every time that when I say, ‘we need to work in that area’, and they bring solutions in that area, we achieve better results," he said.

"That’s the most satisfying thing for me. It’s a slow process. [On Sunday] we made another step forward, and that was the result. It’s late, but that’s the potential there. I was always honest when I feel like I’m using the potential of the bike, that’s the potential."

Asked if by 'late' he meant too late to save his future at Ducati, Davies said: "No, it’s late in terms of bringing the solution to my problems. It’s very late."

Michael van Der Mark, Pata Yamaha, Chaz Davies, ARUBA.IT Racing Ducati, Garrett Gerloff, GRT Yamaha

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

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