CHAZ Davies stepped up his preparations for the 2017 World Superbike Championship (WSBK) with an impressive test weekend in Portugal last weekend.

The Presteigne star was joined by Aruba.it Racing Ducati team-mate in testing in Portugal having previously warmed up for the season in track tests in Jerez in Spain.

Davies now faces one final weekend of testing in Australia ahead of the big season opener at Philip Island on February 20-21.

Davies and the Ducati team are determined to leave no stone unturned in their bid to end Kawasaki dominance of the WSBK with works on engine, electronics and chassis upgrades over pre-season.

Davies recorded the fasest times with a personal best of 1:41.813 after two days of testing.

Davies said: “We did a lot of work in two days, as well as in Jerez, and overall we can be happy with the results. We completed a detailed program to evaluate all the technical upgrades, with good feedback.

“We were also lucky with the weather, because the rain only kept us in the pits during the first few hours on Saturday. Despite the fact that some areas were repaved, the track has gotten a bit bumpier since we last raced here and, consequently, it wasn’t easy to find the best possible setup.

“These tests, after a two month break, were also crucial to allow me to get back the feeling I had on the bike towards the end of last year.

“Only in Portugal, we clocked more than 700 kilometres. The team has done a great job, and we’re optimistic ahead of the season opener in Australia, where we’ll take advantage of the final tests to fine tune the details.”