Davies A Miracle Worker In Thailand

Chaz Davies got the miracle he was looking for as he grabbed his second podium of the World Superbikes season in Thailand.

The Knighton-born rider admitted he would need a massive turnaround after finishing fourth 18 seconds off the pace in Saturday’s first race.

But Davies delivered in Sunday’s second race as the Ducati ace was the only rider who could live with the Kawasaki duo of Tom Sykes and reigning champ Jonathan Rea.

Davies was ready to capitalise on any error by his rivals before coming home third just 0.3sec adrift after a thrilling 20-lap battle.

Huddersfield-born Sykes, the 2013 world beater, just came out on top to deny reigning champ Rea a fourth straight win this season.

The podium followed up Davies’ second place in the season opener in Australia before he finished 10th in the second race after crashing following a last lap attack on Rea.

Davies admitted: “It was horrible on Saturday. It was such a tough fourth place and we had to work hard for it.

“Today the bike was good and it was enough to keep me in the slipstream of the other two guys.

“But just not quite enough to  give me the opportunity to pull alongside and outbreak them.

“They are both very good on the brakes.

“It would have been one of those difficult situations where I’d have to make a bit of a lunge and we saw how that worked out in Phillip Island.

“But I’m happy enough as I didn’t think we’d get a podium here as I consider this my worst track for our bike so roll on Aragon.”

Davies stayed fourth in the overall standings on 55 points, 40 points behind Ulsterman Rea with the next round on the Spanish track on April 1-3.

Sykes is now second overall one point ahead of Holland’s Michael van der Mark who finished fourth on Sunday.