The penultimate bout didn’t start well for Go Eleven and Chaz Davies as mechanical issues halted their involvement within the free practice sessions. Davies, who after a period of recovery following a crash in round 10, has returned to finish the season.

The engine had been worked on in time for the first Superpole start yet Chaz couldn’t break out from an average pace. He looked strong on certain parts of the race but the parts he lacked pushed him down the leader board to a 13th finish.

Starting on the fifth row for race 1, Chaz had his work cut out for him. The lack of physical training over the past month and his ongoing recovery both contributed to a sketchy race, where some laps were in line with the top five contenders and others closer to the bottom five. A return from injury is never easy and Chaz defended his place better than most could given the circumstances.

Sunday’s Superpole was destined to be a hard race to perform well in as Chaz was at the back of the pack from the off. He pushed past as many riders as possible, chasing the top nine but with just 10 laps at his disposal, he ran out of tarmac to do so; 13th place again going into the last race of the weekend.

An injured Alex Lowes and subsequent nonstarter gave Chaz a bump to 12th on the grid. From the start, Davies looked stronger than in race 1, aggressively pursuing and passing two opponents in lap one. Halfway through, the injury issues raise their head again but Chaz ploughs on, overtaking a couple more riders and with the race coming to a close he defended his well-earned position of 9th.

There is just one round left for 2021 and what will be Chaz Davies final bout of his career, having announced his retirement four weeks ago. With a month to gain back his physical condition, the finale in Indonesia might just be the send-off all are hoping for.