Race 1 –Chaz got away extremely well from pole position, immediately taking control of the races. He set the fastest lap of the race on lap five (1’23.739), after which he continued to push and build on his advantage over the chasing pack. Putting together the perfect race, the Welshman knew how best to manage each phase of the race, riding his Ducati Panigale R to its second victory of the season and crossing the line almost two seconds ahead of second-placed Sykes.

Davide Giugliano lost a few positions at the start and was lying fifth after lap one. In the first phase he unfortunately lost contact with the leading group while trying to pass Torres. Able to pass the Spaniard on lap thirteen to move into fourth place, Giugliano was unable to do any more due to the gap of more than 8 seconds that had opened up in the meantime between him and the trio up ahead. The Italian therefore finished the race in fourth position.

Race 2 – once again Davies made a very fast start to take the lead. Despite a rain shower during the early stages of the race, the Welsh rider did not slow his pace, again building up a considerable advantage over Sykes, lying second, just as in Race 1. In what was almost a replay of the first race, Chaz kept his head, maintaining both his advantage and his concentration right to the line, finishing first and achieving what is a first double win of the season for him and the team.

Giugliano, fifth through the first lap, was unfortunately the victim of what appeared to be a serious crash at Turn 6 on the very next lap. The Italian rider has contusions to the left heel and right knee but doctors confirm that he has sustained no serious injuries.

After nine championship rounds, and thanks to the results at Laguna Seca, Davies moves into third place in the overall standings, with 263 points, while Giugliano retains seventh, having earned 119 points. Ducati positions second in the manufacturer’s standings with 318 points.

Chaz Davies: “I’m really, really happy with these results, and we’ve definitely seen the fruits of our labour here. The track here perhaps limits our weak points and plays to our strengths, and we were able to put together two really good races that went almost exactly to plan. I didn’t think we’d be able to lap in 1.23s but I was able to make some really quick first laps in Race 1, pushing hard for the first twelve or so and then it was all about gap management. We made a few small tweaks for race 2 and I think those changes were useful. I took a lot of risks with the rain, and was very worried about crashing but luckily the rain stopped and things went smoothly from there to the finish line. I thank my entire team, Ducati and our sponsors - it’s been a really solid weekend, and a lot better than last year’s outcome of course.”

Davide Giugliano:“It was not my day. In race one I lost a lot of time trying to get past Torres and then, once I’d done that, there was no chance to catch the three guys up ahead and so I had to be happy with fourth. We made some changes for race 2 but they were not needed in the end as I crashed almost immediately. To be honest, I was really scared as I thought I’d hurt my back again, but the doctors assure me that I am ok. I’m really sorry as we had a good chance to do well…”