'Hurt' Davies given 'no good reason' for Ducati axe, 'no one has returned calls'

Chaz Davies has expressed his 'hurt' at his treatment by Ducati following the abrupt conclusion to their long-standing relationship in the WorldSBK Championship during the final round of the 2020 season in Estoril.

On the eve of the finale it was confirmed Davies had been dropped from the factory Aruba.it Ducati line-up for 2021 after seven seasons together, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi promoted from Go Eleven in his place.

Though Davies has at times struggled to gel with the Ducati Panigale V4 R package introduced in 2019, leading to his defeat at the hands of new team-mates Alvaro Bautista and Scott Redding last year and this year, Davies still secured third in the standings in 2020 by a comfortable margin.

Poignantly signing off his Ducati tenure with a fitting 27th victory in 'red' - which in turn secured Aruba.it the teams' championship title - Davies intimates he is upset with the way he has been treated by the outfit after so many years together.

"To be honest, nobody gave me a good reason, so I’ve got to read between the lines a bit," Davies told the WorldSBK website. "The only thing that Luigi Dall’Igna did mention once was Superpole, which I will accept has been a weakness. 

"However, I’d counter that with the fact we’ve reached a certain stability with the bike and the package and I don’t feel like I need to change too much, so I think we are in a better position now to work on a specific qualifying setup. 

"It’s impossible not to take this decision personally. It hurts; it hurts a lot actually.”

To complicate matters further for Davies, Ducati's late call on riders means the Welshman has been left with no factory options for the 2021 WorldSBK Championship season.

“Some things that are in my hands? No. Some things that are being spoke about? Yes. Imagine sitting where I am sitting and feeling like you couldn’t fight for the Championship but not having the full support around you, you already start with an excuse. 

"I’m not saying that will be the situation but if you aren’t in the factory team then you automatically don’t have the full support.”

Moreover, he says Ducati's apparent reluctance to make contact with him leads him to believe he won't be in line for factory-supported switch to Barni or Go Eleven.

“I have obviously asked the question about it as I am out of Ducati, but nobody returned my phone call, which tells me they don’t want me."