The summer break will soon be over, with WorldSBK returning to the track on the 16th September at the Lausitzring. Ahead of the Round, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider Davide Giugliano took to the track at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for three days of private testing, alongside teammate Chaz Davies and 2017 Aruba rider Marco Melandri.

Giugliano spoke to WorldSBK.com at the test, as the Italian focuses on making the most of the remainder of the season aboard his Panigale R.

What have you been working on during the test?

"We’ve been trying different setup options that we could use in Germany, because the track is quite different. The track is quite bumpy, but riding here in Misano we can look over some of the points of the track, because it has a lot of chicanes and long corners. We used setups looking towards Lausitzring."

How is your feeling on the bike?

“Really good. I’m riding the bike how I want to. Since about 3 races ago we’ve been refining it and every race has seen it get better. At the start of the season I couldn’t ride how I wanted to, but now thanks to the hard work of my team we’re making real progress and it’s visible.”

How would you rate this season so far?

“In my opinion it has been very positive – especially after Assen. From Malaysia onwards things have been going well and I’ve gained a lot of points for the team. This gives me confidence ahead of the final four Rounds.”

How will you attack the final four Rounds?

“They will be four weekends like the others – I’m a professional. I’m still the Ducati rider an that’s important. I want to keep getting good results, take our bike as far forward as possible and get on with my season. The day after the last race, I’ll think about the future.”

Do you have a favourite track of those left in the 2016 season?

“I like them all a lot but maybe Lausitzring a little less because of the bumps, not because of the track. After Germany there’s Magny-Cours, Jerez and Qatar and I like them all a lot.”

Where could you possibly take a win?

“I hope in all three!”

What does your future look like at the moment?

“There are various options: I have some great options to stay in WorldSBK and also some options in Moto2™. All look good and I’m taking my time not just to evaluate the options but to figure out which is the best for my career. Lately there has been some confusion in the press about this, but there’s still nothing signed and confirmed. My heart is in SBK for a lot of reasons, I started here when I was 15 and now I’m 26 – to change habits and circuits and paddock isn’t easy. But sometimes you have to put yourself first and if you think that change is the way forward, the best thing to do is go for it.”

Manuel Puccetti says you have had discussions about an option in the team…

“Puccetti counts on a very good team – they won the WorldSSP crown last year and are trying to defend it this year with their riders P1 and P2 in the title standings of a very tough category. They have a lot of support from Kawasaki and we’re talking a lot about that. I consider Manuel to be a great guy too, with great potential, and he has an important team. This is the option I prefer at the moment, and the one my heart tells me is the best. There are still details to define, but we’ll see what happens soon enough. Their offer and what they want to do is very interesting to me.”

Will you miss Ducati when you leave?

Without a doubt, I’m very sorry to go. Here, I’ve found some people who really understand racing. It has been a great period in my life. Now we’re going to take different paths but I wish them the best for the future and since I’m still young, I hope we find each other again further in the future.