LEVI Day kicked off his Ducati TriOptions Cup season in some testing conditions, as he competed with the wet weather at Donington Park, England last weekend.
However, he would be happy with the outcome of the event, as he posted some solid results.
The event saw him finish up with his first race win in the class.
Atrocious conditions meant little dry running before Sunday’s first race, which was held on a dry track.
Three test days had been cancelled prior to the season start due to snow in England, with the opening round not looking a whole lot better.
However, Day mastered the damp, cool conditions and finished first in the opening practice session.
A dry line appeared for qualifying, but wet tyres were the only option, with one section too risky for slicks.
Day had worked his Ducati 959 Panigale to third on the grid and went to work from there.
He gained the holeshot on the front runners off the line to lead, but was soon passed by pole sitter Lewis Rullo.
He then regained the lead, holding on for the remainder of the race for a well-deserved victory.
“I got a good start to get the holeshot in to turn one, before being over taken at turn two,” Day said.
“I followed Lewis Rollo for half a lap, before making a move on him.
“For the next three laps I managed to get in to a great rhythm and stretch the lead to two seconds.
“From there I was able to manage the gap and put in some consistent and strong laps.
“I led for the remainder of the race, keeping my head down and riding my own race, crossing the finish line with the first win of the season – the best way to start our 2018 campaign.”
Unfortunately the dry weather departed and Monday’s race was postponed, but eventually kicked off in extremely wet conditions.
Day worked his way around the track and crossed the line in 15th, giving him fourth place overall in the series.
“I am positive we have certainly found some feeling in the wet, as we showed it in practice and qualifying, but it didn’t go our way in the race, with a few of the other front runners in this year’s championship having difficulty also,” he said.
“I am hoping for some more wet sessions to build upon our lessons learnt and turn it in to some good wet races.”
Day now heads to Brands Hatch Indy for Round 2 where he hopes to build momentum.
“I’m absolutely buzzing to get back on my BPS Racing/AJN Steelstock Ducati 959 to continue to work hard with my team on building on our positive first round,” he said.
“We have shown we have the pace to be fighting for the championship this season and I’m fortunate to have an amazing team, sponsors and family supporting me.”
