MotoGP: Italy’s Di Giannantonio to miss final two races of the season due to shoulder surgery

Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio will miss the final two MotoGP races of the year to undergo shoulder surgery, his Ducati-VR46 team said on Thursday.

Di Giannantonio, currently 10th in the championship, dislocated his left shoulder in a high-speed collision at the Austrian GP in August but has continued to ride.

He is set to compete in Australia this weekend, then at Thailand, before returning home for an operation that will rule him out of the season-ending races in Malaysia and Valencia.

“I would have liked to race till Valencia, close the season in the best possible way with the team and then take all the time necessary to deal with the surgery, recovery and rehabilitation,” he said.

“Unfortunately, however, the calendar is really demanding, the winter break is so short, and we cannot risk not arriving at the peak of physical condition at the start of 2025.”

Di Giannantonio scored his debut podium in Australia last year before a first MotoGP victory in Qatar.