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SBK, Giugliano and Aprilia: a possible marriage

The Roman rider in talks with Iodaracing to stay in the Superbike championship; he won't back down: "I shouldn't have to pay to race"

Giugliano and Aprilia: a possible marriage

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The Piaggio stand at EICMA in Milan is very large and includes, among the many scooters and bikes on show, the Aprilia SBK bikes with which the Iodaracing team, headed up by Giampiero Sacchi, completed its first season in the production-derived series, achieving some more than satisfactory results.

Among the Noale bikes, Davide Giugliano appeared to be “interested” in the Venetian RSV4: “I'm talking to Giampiero Sacchi to find the best solution for me -explains Davide - Honestly speaking the Aprilia is a good bike, so we're talking to see if we can work out a future collaboration. Of course, moving to the Iodaracing team with the RSV4 is not my only option”.

Your championship didn't end as you'd hoped, also due to your injured shoulder. How are you now?

“My shoulder is getting better, and all I need to do to get back into shape is to rest it. It's not a serious problem, but at the end of the season we had four races all close together and, with very limited rest time, it's really difficult to fully recover from an injury”.

You have no bike for 2017 and have stated that you don't want to have to pay to race…

Look… aside from a rider's talent, a rider coming to the world championship can't pay to race. This is what I believe and suggest to all rider, not because I, Davide Giugliano, am better or worse than other, but because I think it's only right. A rider coming to the world championship, who has already paid his dues and perhaps already achieved some good results, should be respected and the work done should be valued. From Rea to Sykes, to Davies and other factory riders, earning serious sums of money, everyone should be paid for the results they achieve and in line with the point of their career that they are at. In a world championship, the level of the riders finishing first to fifteenth is high and people should know this.

There should be a sort of political union among the riders: new-entry riders shouldn't be paid as much as a champion, but equally they shouldn't have to pay to race”.

What does “being a rider” mean to you?

I'll say this: being a rider doesn't just mean riding the bike during race weekend. Being a rider means having to train every day, means having a rider's needs; it's not all about enjoying yourself, you need to make sacrifices, have bikes at home to be able to train. The risk factor should also be considered that, in this sport, is ever present; personal insurance is essential”.

Do you have any regrets about the 2016 season?

My biggest regret is not having finished the race in Germany; firstly, if I hadn't crashed, I wouldn't have hurt myself, but also other things would have been different, also in terms of morale. We riders are, first and foremost, people. This means having sensations when you ride a bike , because this is not just a piece of metal with two wheels, and the human factor counts a lot in this sport”.

Did you feel the pressure of having Davies as a team-mate?

When you have such a fast team-mate, you can't lie to yourself if you want to beat him; having a strong rider next to you spurs you on and makes you want to improve. If we analyse the season. I struggled in the first two races, while Chaz did well. Then I was strong and Davies couldn't keep up with me. When I started to go slow, he was very fast”.

In the final part of the season, the Panigale even seemed better than the Kawasaki ZX10R…

“In Ducati, we've worked hard to develop our Panigale, but, I have to say, it was Chaz Davies who made the difference”.

In 2013 you rode an Aprilia RSV4 with team Althea. Did you like it?

Well… (a moment of silence) the RSV4 is definitely an interesting bike”.

 

Translated by Heather Watson
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