Visibly, after suffering to get his first victory on the challenging Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta as part of the Superbike championship MotoAmerica, Danilo Petrucci took advantage of the night to recharge his batteries and prove to be the fastest during the morning warm-up!
The Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York rider actually surpassed the strong man in the category, Jake Gagne (Fresh N' Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing) which had nevertheless a revenge to take on the race the day before since his crash at turn five on lap six while leading.
A little further away, we found the South African Cameron Petersen who had also crashed his Yamaha R1 in the race the day before, preceding Jake lewis on his Suzuki, the others already being more than a second behind.
At the start of the 19-lap race, Jake Gagne keeps the advantage of his pole position and immediately builds up a small lead of 0,8 seconds. Unfortunately, from the second lap, the red flags came out with the fall of Jeremy Coffey (Triple M, Suzuki).
After a short interruption, the race starts again but almost stops after one lap, the TV truck no longer receiving the necessary electrical power! This time, the interruption is longer and when, finally, the race starts again, the unfortunate Danilo Petrucci explodes the engine of his Panigale which has overheated on the starting grid! After the reigning champion's countless mechanical problems Jack Gagne, some may see it as a sort of divine justice of the American championship to maintain a certain suspense…
From then on, the way is clear for Jack Gagne who, lap after lap, widens a considerable gap on his own teammate to cross the finish line 14 seconds ahead of his teammate.
Jake Gagne: “The goal was to bring this bike home, no matter what. But at the same time, I knew that even the pace we were at yesterday was comfortable for me. I just had to avoid making a small mistake like that. But I had a really good start today, really, really good. It was good. I felt a bit like last year. For me, I'm comfortable. Like Cam said, I feel good from the start, so I want to try to push the pace right away and at least reduce the group if possible, and whoever wants to come, come. I knew there was drama. We even saw Petrucci's Ducati smoke a little on the warm-up lap. So that was on my mind. I wonder if this thing will end? It's a tough year, man. A really tough year so far. I know we only have four races, but it's a difficult year. I think luck was on our side today. I was able to win, and not only win, but also score points with these guys who failed today, which is unfortunate for them. But it's racing. There are still 16 races to go in this championship. The way is still long. »
Disappointment at Danilo Petrucci which explains in this watered-down message: “It’s just embarrassing what happened today. In 25 years of racing, I have never seen them stop the race because the circuit cameras don't have power. We stay on the different starting grids for more than 5 minutes and our engine explodes because the water is boiling. »
“I don't want to criticize anyone, @motoamerica is really an exciting championship and I want to believe that this episode is truly unique. It's not their fault, nor that of the circuit. I was just upset because I lost a race for this incredible reason. But that’s how it is and nothing in my life has been easy. My life has been nothing but “sliding doors”, taking the last seat on the train every time at the last moment. It's exciting and it's what keeps me alive. It's not exciting to wait for the plane for two hours, it's exciting to jump in at the last moment, and this championship is really exciting. »
Danilo Petrucci nevertheless retains command of the championship.
