Heading to a circuit which has proven to be a strong one for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team in the past, team-mates Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri are looking ahead to the Pirelli Spanish Round hoping to impress out on track. Both riders have a strong level of experience around the circuit, and are hoping this will pay off despite the track resurfacing.

Taking a stunning double victory in Spain last season, Davies is hoping he can quickly adapt his Panigale R to the new surface of the 4.4km layout, and continue with his strong pace from race two at Magny-Cours. With a simple goal of having a strong weekend, the pressure is off for Davies, but he will have one eye on second position in the championship as he currently sits nine points off his main rival Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team). As the 30 year old is seemingly the man to beat at Jerez, he will put up a hard battle in Spain.

“We had good results at Jerez,” begins Davies. “I feel our package has worked quite well there in the past couple of years, especially in terms of tyre wear. In the past, it was tricky to preserve the rear and get the best feeling with the front, especially in the heat. The track has been resurfaced anyway, so that will be the first thing to understand. Usually this changes things quite a lot, so that shall be interesting because we spent so many years riding the same tarmac and basically getting used to it. We’ll start from the setup we used in the last races, and adapt it to what we find out about Jerez. The goal is to have another solid weekend and come home with as many points as possible”.

Italian team-mate Melandri returns to a track he enjoys and has a big level of experience around, and will be hoping to repeat his results from Jerez in 2014, where he recorded the double victory. The 35 year old will be keeping a keen eye on the weather, as he explains track temperature and grip levels will be key this weekend. 

Melandri explains his delight at making his WorldSBK return to the circuit: “Jerez has always been one of my favourite tracks, and for sure it’s where I clocked more kilometers with the Panigale R. The resurfacing has been somewhat of a surprise for me, because the tarmac was already among the best in the calendar. This will mix things up further, and I can’t wait to ride and find out how it has changed. In the past, temperatures had a key role in the overall performance, as the heat slowed the track down and you had to focus on tyre preservation rather than pure speed. Now we could find more grip, similar to what we have during winter tests. We made more steps forward at Magny Cours, despite missing a big chance on Sunday. I feel this is a good time for us to reap the best fruits of our labour.”

Keep up with the Italian team as they keep one eye on the manufactures title, as well as hope to make it onto the podium, all with the WorldSBK VideoPass.