Third place for Chaz Davies in Russia in World Superbike Championship (From Hereford Times)

Third place for Chaz Davies in Russia in World Superbike Championship

4:30pm Wednesday 29th August 2012 in Sport

CHAZ Davies was eager to focus on the positives despite leaving round 11 of the World Superbike Championship in Russia wondering what could have been.

The 25-year-old was part of history as he took to the track in Moscow on Sunday, the first time a World Superbike race has ever been held in Russia.

But the Parkingo MTC Racing rider gave himself a mountain to climb right from the off if he was going to make it a double celebration as a gamble going for a race tyre in qualifying meant he started race one on the fifth row of the grid.

And things got even worse as, despite working his way through the field, a collision with Leon Haslam with just two laps to go meant the reigning World Supersport champion crashed out.

However, Davies went some way to making up for the disappointment of race one in the second as he turned 13th on the starting grid into a third-place finish come the chequered flag, meaning he could leave Russia with his head held high.

With three rounds remaining, Davies sits 11th overall, however, it is not necessarily the leaderboard that he has his sights set on.

This is Davies’ first year in the Superbike competition and he is keen to show improvement, and with race one taking place in wet conditions he is convinced he has done exactly that. “In Moscow I felt that I took a step forward in the damp conditions and felt comfortable,”

he said.

“If Haslam hadn’t torpedoed me and if I didn’t have the mechanical problem we could have challenged for the win.”

Davies added: “It is all ifs and buts, I know, but that shows how far we have come.”

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