Team Aruba.it have been left with mixed emotions after a difficult weekend of racing, producing unpredictable results. Spectators were impressed with Melandis’ effort despite being plagued with technical issues throughout the weekend. Davies defied the odds by starting in the third row for both race 1 & 2, but by putting on a show of focused determination took 3^rd and 1^st place respectively.

The Buriram International Circuit played host to the second round of the WSBK championships. Opened in 2014, this FIA grade 1, purpose-built track, looks more like a runway from the air which is a clear indicator of the speed needed to compete on this historically difficult circuit, an area where Marco experienced stability problems throughout the weekend.

For Race one, Chaz started in a slightly uncomfortable 9^th on the inside of the grid and with a large, tightly packed group of riders in front, exercised patience, slowly climbing the peloton. Towards the end of the race, Davies secured 3^rd place and held steady until the flag came down.

It was clear from early on that Marco was battling with the high-speed straights, with a significant wobble occurring, the seasoned Italian lost ground, putting him in 8^th overall.

The issues hadn’t been resolved for race two but Marco pushed the bike and himself to the limit to achieve a respectable 7^th place finish. Undoubtedly, the bike will be put through stringent testing ahead of the third round.

Meanwhile Chaz had a spectacular bout with both the bike and rider being on point. Even another third row start couldn’t stop the Welshman from passing the leading pack, taking the top spot in lap 7. Holding back any attempts by other contenders, Chaz chalked up another win, bringing his WSBK career total to 28. The icing in the cake being a 1.33.627 lap, the fastest of the day.

After this weekend of highs and lows, team Aruba.it hold overall 4^th (Davies) and 2^nd (Melandri) place. Both riders will be looking forward to the third round (Aragon, Spain 13-15^th April), where they will be joined by the junior element of the team, Michael Rinaldi.