A look back at recently retired Chaz Davies’ decorated WorldSBK career

Chaz Davies brought an end to a glittering eleven-year WorldSBK career at last month’s 2021 season finale in Mandalika, Indonesia. 

The long-time Ducati rider endured one of his toughest seasons of late as injuries played a significant role in his final year. 

Davies missed six races in total due to an accident with Lucas Mahias in the Superpole race at Barcelona, which left the Welshman with broken ribs. 

2021 was also Davies’ first season competing for GoEleven Ducati after being replaced inside the factory Aruba.it Ducati team for the first time since he joined the Italian manufacturer in 2014.

All this culminated in a 12th place finish in the championship standings - his first and only non top ten finish. 

But with that said, Davies will easily go down as one of the series' greatest riders after only being bettered by six-time world champion Jonathan Rea in three out of four years (2015-18)

Davies, who first joined the class in 2012 with Aprilia after winning the 2011 WorldSSP title for Yamaha, found his form from Donington Park and Laguna Seca onwards - rounds five and six of that particular season.

Three top tens in four races were then converted into a first podium just two rounds later as he claimed third in the second MotorLand Aragon race, a venue that turned out to be his best ever as he claimed seven wins at the Spanish circuit. 

Davies wasn’t done there as a rookie as another two third place finishes followed in Russia and Germany, before securing a maiden WorldSBK win at the Nürburgring when he got the better of current BMW rider Eugene Laverty. 

After joining BMW himself in 2013, Davies would improve his ninth place championship finish as a rookie by claiming fifth, as he also managed another three wins. 

Then came Davies’s move to Ducati, a move that saw him complete the rest of his WorldSBK career with the Bolonga-based manufacturer, and a move that yielded 28 of his 32 wins and 89 out of his 99 podiums.

Although Davies was never able to match his biggest and longest standing rival Jonathan Rea over an entire season, Davies was able to comfortably assert himself as a top three WorldSBK rider for a period of five years. 

And while Davies has somewhat of a title you’d rather not possess - only rider on the top ten most race wins list without a world title, the 34 year-old has nonetheless had a glittering career and one that has established him as one of the better Superbike riders of all-time.