A look back at recently retired Chaz Davies’ decorated WorldSBK career

Best known for his eight-year stint with Ducati, Chaz Davies leaves WorldSBK as one of the series' best ever riders and possibly the best to never win a premier class world title.
A look back at recently retired Chaz Davies’ decorated WorldSBK career

Chaz Davies br🧸ought an end to a glittering eleven-year WorldSBK career at last month’s 2021 season finale in Mandalika, Indones❀ia. 

The long-time Ducati rider endured one of his toughest seasons of late as🐽 injuries played a significant role in his final year. 

Davies missed ꦜsix races in total due to an accident with Lucas Mahias in the Superpole race at Barcelona, which left the Welshman with broken ribs. 

2021 was als🎃o Davies’ first season competing for GoEleven Ducati after being replaced inside💛 the factory Aruba.it Ducati team for the first time since he joined the Italian manufacturer in 2014.

All this culminated in a 12th p𒅌lace finish in the championship standings - his first and only non to❀p ten finish. 

But with that said, Davies will easily go down as oಌne of the series' greatest riders after only being bettered by six-time world champion Jonathan Rea in three out of four years (2015-18)

Davies, who first joined the class in🎃 2012 with Aprilia after winning the 2011 WorldSSP title for Yamaha, found his form from Donington🌊 Park and Laguna Seca onwards - rounds five and six of that particular season.

Three top tens in four races were then converted into a first podium just two rounds later as he claimed third in the second MotorLand Aragon race, a ven📖ue that turned out to be his best ever as he claimed seven wins at the Spanish circuit. 

Davies wasn’t done there as a rookie as another two thirdꦓ place finishes followedꦓ in Russia and Germany, before securing a maiden WorldSBK win at the Nürburgring when he got the better of current BMW rider Eugene Laverty. 

After joining BMW himself in 2013, Davies would improve his ninth place championship finish as a rookie by claiming fifth, as he also managed another thr♑ee wins. 

Then came Davies’s move to Ducati, a move that saw him complete the rest of his WorldSBK care😼er with the Bolonga-based manufacturer, and a move that yielded 28 of his 32 wins and 89 out of his 99 podiums.

Although Davies was nev🍃er able to match his bigge🎃st and longest standing rival Jonathan Rea over an entire season, Davies was able to comfortably assert himself as a top three WorldSBK rider for a period of five years. 

And while Davies has somewhat of a title you’d rather not possess - only rider on the top ten most race wins list without a world title, the 34 year-old has noneth𒉰eless had a glittering career and one that has establish♒ed him as one of the better Superbike riders of all-time.

Read More