When Chaz Davies announced his retirement in Jerez last September, we all knew that the time to say goodbye would come. Here is Mandalika, the last appointment of this exciting season and the final stage in the career of the Welshman. All eyes were on the world fight, Sunday the party was for Toprak Razgatlioglu, who became world champion.
Yet in the paddock there was also space for Chaz, who has given so much to Superbike and leaves so much, with his wonderful legacy. A pillar of the category for many years, it was Ducati’s reference point for seven seasons. He has never won a title in the premier class, but we know that often it is not the palmarès that fully describes a driver. What he leaves can be read in the eyes of those who speak of him.
Davies will hardly forget Indonesia, where he only raced once, but it was enough to make it memorable. In Mandalika he danced with his Panigale V4R of the Go Eleven team for the last time, ending a career full of successes not only with the visor down but also as a person inside the paddock. His team welcomed him in the box with the message on the blackboard “Thank you legend”. Yes, because although he never managed to take the title to Borgo Panigale, he made the history of the brand and the Superbike world championship.
Mandalika was the round of emotionality, in which the future mixed with the past. Razgatlioglu has succeeded in the feat that Davies, Rea’s great rival for several seasons, could not accomplish. “I can’t say too much about Toprak and Yamaha, who have had a great season. Toprak didn’t make any mistakes, he really deserved this championship ”, commented Chaz.
Correct driver on the track and polite man outside. It hasn’t always been easy for the Welshman, who has found himself facing several challenges throughout his career. However, he never lost the kind manners and the great motivation that always pushed him to give his best. Davies leaves the races smiling and serenely faces the new stage of his life: “It was nice to race in front of the Indonesian fans, I’m happy to have raced these last two races. It was not the best result to finish the season, but when I look back on the difficult times in my career and how far I have come, I am very excited and proud of my solid career. I am lucky to have had the right people, a great team who have always supported me in difficult moments ”.
Of course, the lack of what his world has been for so many years will make itself felt and, at the end of the weekend, Davies reflects on the aspect he will surely miss the most: “What will I miss most? To tell the truth, I will not miss the results, which are the final product. I will miss the construction of that first position maybe, the before, the after and the moments with the team. I will miss the whole process to get to the result. Leaving the circuit with the winner’s trophy is the best thing. This I will never forget ”.
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