Arezzo/Borgo Panigale (Italy), Monday 28 September 2015 – The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team announces that it will be Luca Scassa at Magny-Cours, and Xavi Forés at Losail, to substitute for Davide Giugliano in the final two rounds of the 2015 Superbike World Championship, alongside Chaz Davies. Test rider Scassa will stand in for the Roman rider at the penultimate event, taking place on 4 October at the French track of Magny-Cours, while Forés will take his place at the final round, at the Losail circuit in Qatar, on 18 October.
Factory rider Davide Giugliano, recently reconfirmed together with his team-mate Chaz Davies for the 2016 racing season, continues his recovery after having fractured his D3 vertebra during the US round of Laguna Seca. Everything seems to be proceeding according to plan and doctors predict that Giugliano will be able to resume a light training programme in approximately two weeks, once his orthopedic brace is removed.
At the Magny-Cours circuit, Luca Scassa will have another chance to race the Superbike version of the Panigale R. In June, the Tuscan rider was set to participate in the Misano race event, taking part as a wildcard entry, but unfortunately a crash in the second timed practice session left him with a fractured collarbone, putting a premature end to his weekend. Now, back in shape and having regained the necessary confidence at the recent post-race test at Jerez, Scassa is ready to return to the track at Magny-Cours.
For the final round of the season, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team’s second bike will be entrusted to Xavi Forés. The Spanish rider has just concluded the final Hockenheim round of the IDM German Superbike Championship, riding a Panigale R with Team 3C Racing and winning the closing race of the season. Forés has already substituted for Giugliano this season, at both Aragón and Assen, closing each of the four races inside the top ten and scoring a best result of fifth.
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #34)
“My recovery is going well but it is a long process. I intend to do everything exactly as the doctors tell me, so that I can return to 100% fitness and be able to be competitive next season. I hope, once the brace comes off, that I can start training, step by step of course, a little at a time… I would like to be ready for the final winter tests of 2015 but we don’t know yet. We’ll see in late November and if it’s not possible then I’ll focus on preparing to return in January 2016…”
Luca Scassa (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #99)
“First of all I want to thank the team for this opportunity. Since my wildcard at Misano I hadn’t been able to do a lot due to my fractured collarbone, until the Jerez test that is, where I had a lot of fun. We started with the set-up that Pirro used for the races, before making modifications to adapt it gradually to my riding style. The bike has seen some updates since June and I hope to be able to improve in each session. We’ll see what we can do!”
Xavi Forés (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Superbike Team #112)
“I’m really pleased that the team is giving me another chance to race with the Panigale R in Superbike and I hope to be able to make the most of the opportunity. I know the Losail track well and have already raced there at night, in 2011 in the Moto2 championship, and so I hope to be able to do well. I will aim to at least equal the results obtained at Aragón and Assen, but would like to do more; finishing inside the top five would be a great result. We’ll see… it seems that the bike has improved since I got off it at Assen, so I can’t wait to get started!”
