Danilo Petrucci experienced a mishap that he could have done without during his competition in MotoAmerica where he experienced strong emotions. The Ducati rider thus enjoys a certain sporting success, since he is in the running for the title, but he also discovers a competition organized "the old-fashioned way", in the noble sense of the term. However, there are situations that raise questions and the one Petrux experienced is a serious one. MotoAmerica responded to the Italian on his version of the facts with even a note from the boss, Wayne Rainey…
We will first recall the facts thus described by Danilo Petrucci : " just to inform you that I fell at 280 km/h on the finish line which is a corner that takes place in sixth gear to avoid hitting another driver. I crashed into 3 billboards, had several bruised burns and a deep cut on my ankle that required 5 stitches. I slipped about a hundred meters… One of the worst falls of my career ". But it is also what follows that makes the facts unacceptable: “ I lay on the ground for more than 2 minutes with the sound of motorbikes passing by without anyone helping me, until I got up alone and headed towards the medical center ».
A scenario which made the officials react with this press release found on crash.net : " Sunday afternoon at VIR there was an accident at the end of the Medallia Superbike race in which Danilo Petrucci crashed after crossing the finish line in third place. Unfortunately, the accident itself happened off-camera. Race Direction witnessed the end of the accident and took immediate action. In this case, a yellow warning flag was displayed.
“By that time, eighth-place finisher Ashton Yates had crossed the finish line, 27 seconds behind Petrucci. About 17 seconds later, race management noticed that Petrucci was standing and did not appear seriously injured.
“Petrucci's accident occurred in a fast section of the circuit, and Petrucci while sliding also hit a single lightweight sponsor panel, which consequently gave way as it is designed to do. Petrucci stood, continued walking, and stood at the edge of the trail until he deemed it safe to cross the trail. He was then greeted by MotoAmerica personnel and escorted in a vehicle to the trackside medical center, which was approximately 200 meters from the incident site. At that point, about three minutes had passed and Petrucci was treated for his injuries.
— Danilo Petrucci (@Petrux9) May 23, 2022
« We needed to reach Danilo Petrucci more quickly«
“Attention to detail is paramount when it comes to safety and the safety of our pilots is our number one priority,” said the president of MotoAmerica, Wayne Rainey . “This is where we start, and our process continues from there. In MotoAmerica's eight years of racing, we have never overlooked an injured rider.
“I have nothing but respect for Danilo (Petrucci) and his safety and that of all our drivers is of the utmost importance. We will never downplay a runner's injury or their views on the incident that occurred. We needed to reach Danilo more quickly and we will review the incident and make changes if necessary.
“The situation was made even more difficult to the extent that, although the accident took place after the checkered flag, the track was still busy with drivers still at speed and therefore the mobilization of the marshals becomes more difficult. Additionally, race management places a lot of importance on what they see of a driver's actions following an incident. Petrucci stood and walked under his own power, which quickly eased the severity of the response. We hope Danilo's injuries heal and he feels better. And we can’t wait to see him at Road America.” The two-time MotoGP race winner currently leads the MotoAmerica championship standings four points ahead of Mathew Scholz, with reigning champion Jake Gagné in third.
