After barely missing the podium with a resilient comeback in Race 1 with Chaz Davies, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team stepped back on the rostrum in Misano (Italy) in front of its supporters with Davide Giugliano, who was third on the finish line to redeem yesterday’s 14th place. Davies faced an unfortunate race, crashing out during lap 2 when he looked bound for another thrilling comeback after the one mounted on Saturday.
Starting from third row, both Giugliano and Davies immediately started to climb back through the field. The Italian quickly stormed within the top 5, with Davies just a couple of positions behind him. The Welshman unfortunately crashed out in turn 14, the same that witnessed his teammate’s slip yesterday, during lap 2 and was forced to retire. Giugliano then took third place to begin the hunt for Rea and Sykes, getting closer to the leading couple until the final laps, when the tyres’ drop cemented the positions until the checkered flag.
After eight round, Davies (244 points) and Giugliano (165 points) are respectively in third and fourth position in the championship, while Ducati is second in the Manufacturers rankings with 297 points). The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will be back in action in Laguna Seca (U.S.) the weekend of July 8-10.
Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #34) – 3rd
“Yesterday was a big disappointment for us, because we had a strong pace but a crash took us out of contention. We knew we could bounce back today, and we’ve made another small step forward with our setup for Race 2. Early on, I was trying to manage the tyres because I was expecting a drop in the second half of the race, like yesterday, from Rea and Sykes. However, that didn’t happen. Anyway, it was important for us to get back on the right track and I want to dedicate this podium to Fabrizio Pirovano and his family.”
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7) – DNF
“I’m just disappointed, because we have shown a good pace and great potential on this track throughout the weekend, but we could not bring it to fruition. Yesterday we had the opportunity to win, and today we were ready to climb back after a cleaner start. It’s hard to explain the crash, I didn’t feel on the limit and I had the same corner speed and lean angle, but this is racing sometimes. At least I didn’t sustain serious injuries. My right wrist is sore but hopefully I’ll be back to 100 percent soon and fight for better results in Laguna Seca.”
Stefano Cecconi, Team Principal
“Given the potential we’ve shown with both riders, it’s been a difficult weekend, which didn’t yield the results within our reach. To wrap it up with a podium partially makes up for our efforts, and now we’ll recharge our batteries with the great reunion that is World Ducati Week to arrive to Laguna Seca as ready as ever.”
