Double delight for Chaz Davies at Imola

The Ducati rider was unstoppable as he rode to two victories, moving him up into second place in the World Superbike Championship.

The Mid Wales star held seven and four-second advantages over his rivals to secure his best results of the season at the iconic Italian circuit, which was filled with thousands of passionate Ducati fans.

Davies had secured pole position, showing an unmatched pace, and had a huge lead until the race was red-flagged with six laps to go, which meant he was declared the winner.

“This track really suits me and the Panigale R,” said Davies.

“We’ve made good steps forward under acceleration this year, and it was a big help here with the tight chicanes.

“Also, this layout helps me to take advantage of the strong points of my riding style.

“I kept controlling the gap from Rea, looking after the tyres, and the bike felt really consistent.

“It was a lonely race, but not an easy one.”

After winning race one in dominant fashion, Davies – who also achieved a double win last year – went on to secure his fourth success in a row at Imola. The 29-year-old had to work his way up the field from ninth position during Sunday’s race, based on the new grid regulations.

Red flags again interrupted the race, this time after only two laps, but Davies soon took sixth position and progressively climbed his way up the ranks.

After closing the gap from provisional leader Tom Sykes, Davies took the lead on lap eight and eventually pulled away to win by four seconds.

“For the first time this year, I feel we’ve been the benchmark from the beginning,” said Davies after race two.

“We were able to find our rhythm on Friday, and it sort of snowballed from there.

“The team has done an awesome job, the bike worked superbly in both races, in different conditions, but Sunday was quite interesting.

“We got mixed up at the first start but after the restart we got a good launch and I was able to make some good moves that put us in a good position.

“Sykes’s pace was strong so I had to put my head down to hunt him and, once I caught him, I was able to set my own pace and that was good enough.

“Thanks to all the Italian fans for showing up, their push was something special.”

After five rounds, Davies sits second in the championship on 161 points, behind reigning champion Jonathan Rea on 235 points.

Round six of World Superbikes takes place at Donington Park, May 26-28, and also see Bridgnorth-based Michael Rutter in action for round four of the National Superstock series.