Troubled by the shoulder injury which he picked up in Germany in September, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider Davide Giugliano said goodbye to the Italian team on Sunday in Qatar having missed the final race of the year, after aggravating his shoulder further in Saturday’s Race 1.

Giugliano qualified in 11^th on Saturday in Superpole 2 having made it through from Superpole 1, but the Italian rider was hindered by a contact on the first lap of Race 1 which re-aggravated his right-shoulder injury, momentarily forcing him to go off track.

Rejoining the race in 22nd place, Giugliano climbed his way back into the points, but was eventually forced to retire due to pain and loss of strength.

After taking part in the Sunday warm up session, Giugliano was declared unfit for Race 2 due to the worsening condition of his shoulder.

“As my shoulder was still healing, I knew that any kind of blow could intensify the pain, but I still wanted to try to finish the season on a high note,” he said on Sunday evening. “Unfortunately, the contact in Race 1 strained the tendons and aggravated the situation. There couldn’t have been a sadder way to say goodbye to the team and Ducati, but I carry many beautiful memories within me.”

“I think that both me as a rider and the bike grew a lot together in all these years. I learned many lessons, and it’s been an intense journey because I believe that having me as a rider elicits a lot of emotions, for better and for worse. I want to give my special thanks to my crew, as they always worked until late night to give me the best tools to race. Also thanks to the whole team and Ducati, who have always made me feel appreciated and worked so hard. I wish them all the best!”