Chaz Davies takes up Riders’ coach role with Ducati
Three months after bringing his on-track career to an end, Chaz Davies has returned to WorldSBK as the new Aruba.it Racing Ducati Riders’ coach.
Davies, winner of 32 WorldSBK races and a three-time championship runner-up, will work alongside former team-mate Alvaro Bautista, Michael Rinaldi and WorldSSP rider Nicolo Bulega.
The Welshman announced his decision to retire from racing on the eve of last season’s round ten in Jerez, which was one week before he suffered two broken ribs in Catalunya.
The injury forced Davies to miss the remainder of that weekend along with Portimao and San Juan, before returning for the season finale in Mandalika.
Speaking about his new role, Davies added: “I’m absolutely thrilled to remain part of the racing world and especially with the Aruba.it - Ducati family, with whom I enjoyed the best years of my racing career.
“It will be an interesting perspective to see the action from ‘the other side of the fence’! I believe that with my seven years of experience as an official Ducati rider and knowledge of both the Ducati V2 and V4 bikes I am well equipped to contribute to the future success of the team.
“We have excellent riders for the 2022 WorldSBK and WorldSSP campaigns and I will give everything I can to maximise their potential. I want to thank Stefano Cecconi, Feel Racing and Ducati for this opportunity and can’t wait to get started!”
This isn’t a surprising move from Davies who had originally been linked with the same role at BMW - another former team of his, however, with Davies having spent the majority of his career in red, it’s a move that Ducati will hope can aid them in their aspirations of winning a first Superbike title since 2011.
Team Principal at Aruba.it Racing Ducati, Stefano Cecconi added: "We are happy to be able to count on Chaz again, albeit in a new role both for him and for our team. His experience will certainly be of great help to our riders, allowing them to express their full potential.
"His contribution to the SuperSport project will also be fundamental for both Nicolo Bulega and the team, as the Panigale V2 has the DNA of the twin-cylinder Superbikes on which Chaz achieved outstanding results over the past years."
