Friday’s first outing of the Fassi French Round did not go to plan for Davide Giugliano as recurring pain from his injured shoulder eventually prevented the Aruba.it  Racing –Ducati rider to take part in Round 11.

Rewind to Race 2 at Round 10 in Germany where the Giugliano took a nasty tumble chasing Kawasaki Racing Team’s Jonathan Rea. The result was a right shoulder contusion. The Italian underwent intense physiotherapy in order to be ready for Round 11, but pain hindered him in Friday’s first free practice forcing him to stop mid session and undergo physiotherapy ahead of Saturday’s Superpole sessions.

“I didn’t expect to be in so much pain, said the Ducati rider. “The shoulder hurt a lot after the crash [in Germany] but, thanks to an intense physiotherapy program, I was able to recover quite quickly. I underwent treatment between FP1 and FP2 but, despite feeling some relief, the pain intensified as soon as I stepped back on the bike so, together with the team, we decided to take a temporary break.”

Then in the Tissot-Superpole 1 session, Giugliano had a ligh crash in the out lap, this time ending his weekend.

“I tried everything I could to be ready to race,” said a disappointed Giugliano.  “Yesterday we stopped early to give my shoulder a chance to rest, and this morning in the wet I felt comfortable right away. Unfortunately the crash during Superpole, even if at a really low speed, made the situation worse. It’s impossible to do a 21-lap race with so much pain and little strength. Now I will rest and undergo physiotherapy to improve the conditions of the tendons so that I can go to Jerez in a better shape. Time is on our side.”

The number 34 rider now heads back to Italy to begin his recovery ahead of Round 12, which will take place on the 14-16^th of October at the Circuito de Jerez in Southern Spain.