Chaz Davies heads to the Thailand round of World Superbikes with added optimism thanks to updates on the Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale R, despite struggling to take the battle to the factory Kawasaki riders at the Chang International Circuit for the past two years.

Since the Thai round joined the World Superbike calendar in 2015 the factory Kawasaki team has been unbeatable at the circuit with Jonathan Rea claiming three wins and Tom Sykes the other victory in the opening four races at the track.

Davies enjoyed impressive gains in Thailand last year going from struggling to finish in the top 10 in 2015 to a fourth and a third place 12 months ago.

The Welsh rider feels since finding the sweet spot with the Panigale R in the second half of 2016, when he claimed seven out of the final eight wins plus added gains from winter testing, he can head to Buriram with confidence.

"In retrospect, I don't think we've ever really been in the ballpark with the setting in Thailand and, knowing what we know, we understand better how to stay within our window," Davies said. "I'm quite excited to try the 2017-spec Panigale R there, as I think the long straights are going to be less of a problem because we made some improvements in terms of power.

"The track is hard on tyres and racing is going to be tough because of the heat, but there's a lot to look forward to."

Davies narrowly missed out on victory in both races at the 2017 season opener in Phillip Island but did get his campaign off to a strong start with two second place finishes. Davies trails Rea by 10 points ahead of the second round in Thailand.