Chaz Davies was left wondering what might have been after crashing while leading his home World Superbikes round for the second year in a row.

Just like last year at Donington Park, the Welsh flier looked well set until hitting the track seven laps into the race at Goddards corner.

Davies – who had seized the lead from pole winner Tom Sykes after starting third on the grid – was able to get back on his aruba.it Racing Ducati bike.

And after resuming in 14th spot he forced his way back to eighth but lost second place in the standings to Sykes who triumphed.

The Powys rider said: “I’m disappointed for the crash, because we had a really good pace at the start of the race.

“On Friday we lacked stability, but the crew worked hard overnight and I was able to push hard at the front and stress our rivals a bit.

“Unfortunately, I made a mistake in the last corner, which is quite bumpy.

“I let go the front brake a little too quickly and the front unloaded too fast.

“It’s always a fine line between winning and losing. Looking at the bright side, we got back on the bike and salvaged some valuable points for the championship.

“Hopefully we can show a strong pace in Race 2 as well and make it to the checkered flag.”

Under the new rules Davies will start Sunday’s second race in first spot on the grid as he looks to recover in the title standings.

Davies is now 66 points behind behind reigning two-time champJonathan Rea who spectacularly crashed out from second after a problem with his Kawasaki bike.

Ernesto Marinelli, the team’s Superbike Project Director, said: “It’s been a difficult day, below our expectations.

“It’s a real pity that Chaz crashed out, because both before and after he showed a strong pace. Looking at the glass half full, we recovered 8 points for the championship.”|