Davide Giugliano · Biography

Davide Giugliano made his international racing debut in 2005, in the European Superstock 600 Championship, riding a Honda CBR600RR. Born in Rome on 28 October 1989, the Italian rider went on to the Supersport World Championship and the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, which he won in 2011, before reaching the Superbike World Championship, where he raced for Ducati, Aprilia and Honda between 2011 and 2018. Carrying the number 34, he made 124 starts in the series, with 14 podiums, five pole positions and 879 points.

Early years in the production classes

Before moving up to European level he had raced in the 125cc class of the Italian Speed Championship in 2004, finishing tenth. His first season in the European Superstock 600 ended without a final classification and included a disqualification at Imola. The following year he switched to a Kawasaki ZX-6R and finished third in the championship with 145 points, a result that opened the door to the world stage. In 2007 he made his Supersport World Championship debut with the same manufacturer: he contested eight races and ended the year 27th with 21 points.

The FIM Superstock 1000 Cup

In 2008 he stepped up to litre bikes. On a Suzuki he was seventh in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup and, alongside it, runner-up in the Italian Stock 1000 series with two wins. The 2009 season was uneven: he rode MV Agusta, Suzuki and Yamaha machinery and finished tenth with one podium. Back on a Suzuki in 2010, he climbed to fifth. The breakthrough came in 2011, when he joined the Althea team on a Ducati 1098R and won the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup with 171 points. That same year he entered his first Superbike World Championship round as a wildcard at Portimão and scored four points.

Althea: from Ducati to Aprilia

Althea promoted him to a full-time Superbike World Championship ride in 2012, as Carlos Checa’s team-mate. In his first full season he claimed his first two podiums, at Assen and Misano; at the Italian track he finished third behind Checa in a Ducati double podium. He ended the year tenth with 143 points and set the fastest lap at the final round in France. In 2013 Althea moved to Aprilia and Giugliano rode the RSV4 Factory. It was his best year in the standings: sixth with 211 points and two podiums. On 20 July 2013 in Moscow he took his first Superpole in the championship.

Ducati factory rider

In 2014 Ducati signed him for its factory team. He finished eighth with 181 points, two podiums and two Superpoles, despite seven retirements. The 2015 season began with a crash in pre-season testing in which he broke three vertebrae. He missed the first four rounds and returned at Imola, where he reached the podium. He then finished second at Misano and Portimão, but another crash at Laguna Seca injured his spine again and ended his year, which he closed in 11th place with 119 points. In 2016, with the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team alongside Chaz Davies, he collected five podiums and finished seventh with 197 points. It was his last full season in the Superbike World Championship.

British Superbike and replacement rides

In 2017 he switched series and signed with Tyco BMW for the British Superbike Championship, riding a BMW S1000RR with Christian Iddon as team-mate. An injury at the second round halted his season, and on 15 June 2017 rider and team announced a split by mutual consent. That summer Honda called him up to take the Red Bull Honda bike run by Ten Kate, left vacant after the death of Nicky Hayden in May 2017. He raced the CBR1000RR at the Lausitzring and Magny-Cours and scored 13 points. His final World Superbike appearances came in April 2018, when Milwaukee Aprilia handed him the RSV4 of Eugene Laverty, injured in Thailand. He scored points at Aragón and Assen and finished the 2018 season 21st with 11 points.