2016 has seen ups and downs for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati. The ups however have proven nothing but progress for a machine that until last season was yet to record its first victory, and the downs have often been more a slightly accelerated meeting with the limit than Chaz Davies had expected. In the title contender’s own words: “to win the Championship you have to win races and to win races you have to push.”

So, after a first win for the Ducati 1199 Panigale R in 2015 – and a few more to boot – the goalposts for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team had changed for 2016. With sights set on becoming regular winners and title contenders from the outset, how does Ernesto Marinelli – director of the Superbike project - see the season so far?

“Our target is, was and still is to get back to the top of the Championship,” says Marinelli. “It’s anything but easy to do, but this year I think we’ve been proving that we can fight for the podium every weekend. This is positive on one side because it shows that the project is still evolving, but then our target has to be to fight for the Championship, all the way to the last race.”

Last season, it was MotorLand Aragón that hosted the first win for the bike, in Race 1, before Chaz Davies followed it up later that same day by doing the double. The Pirelli Aragón Round in 2016 was also important, as it was again a double win for the team with Davies – and also saw the appearance of the new exhaust.

“The exhaust was one of the developments that we tried for the first time in Aragón,” explains Marinelli. “Not only that – there were other steps that helped as well – but that was definitely our turning point and where we made a step forwards. After, we’ve been introducing a few bits race by race, and our performance has been improving. Of course our rivals are doing the same thing – they’re not sitting still – so development is something that never stops and always goes forwards.”

With the bike a constant challenger then, how does Marinelli rate the season so far for his team’s riders?

“Chaz is a rider who always gives 150%, and he wants to win every weekend,” says the Italian of the Welshman. “So when you get to the limit, the risk of going slightly over is always there. The line is very thin between being a hero in a Race or making a mistake. We know that that can happen in racing. Of course we hope not to see many because in a Championship fight, one 0 or losing points because of a crash is then hard to gain back. That said, we’re happy to have a rider who is so hungry for victories.”

Davies certainly is a rider hungry to win, with standout performances in 2016 including doubles at Aragón and Imola – and not discounting the spectacular last corner overtake on Jonathan Rea at Sepang in 2015, gambling everything on taking the title fight down to Jerez.

Davide Giugliano, on the other side of the Ducati garage, has had an altogether different season and a half to his teammate. Sidelined throughout a lot of 2015 due to two almost career-ending crashes, the Italian is now back to his best and has been a podium regular, although not yet having taken a win – something that Marinelli believes is only a matter of time.

“The two crashes that he had last year have really penalized him a lot,” says the Team Principal when asked about Giugliano. “For a rider, when you have a crash like that – even a single one – it’s difficult in your career. Having two in the same season is definitely something that can leave a mark. But Davide is a warrior. Even last year when he came back after his injuries in Phillip Island, he set pole position at Imola and got on the podium, so he’s got a lot of talent. This year we’ve tried to build up the weekend a bit more conservatively – a bit less concentrated on the laptime and more on the distance and the pace – and so far it’s been working. He’s been on the podium or fighting for it. He’s missing the win still, but I think it’s something that should come soon. I think Sepang and Donington, without the shadow of what happened last year, he would have pushed a bit harder and would have had the win in his pocket already. That said, it’s not easy and you never know what would have happened.”

There are now four Rounds left in 2016 for that statistic to change before the end of the season, with both Davies and Giugliano focused firmly on getting as many points, podiums and wins as possible before the end of the year. A year and a bit on from never having won a race, Marinelli now believes the Panigale R is a machine to count on for them to do it.

“Our bike now is very balanced and is competitive on any Racetrack in any conditions,” affirms the Italian. “But it’s a very tight Championship and Kawasaki also have a very good bike, and very good riders as we have, so it’s a difficult game. There are a few races where we have been unbeatable, and a few Races where the other side have been really strong. But definitely we have a package that allows us to fight for the win every weekend – and the win is the only reason why we go racing.”

With that target in mind, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will be back on track at Laustizring in September for Round 10, as the Championship fight starts its final climb.