Given the track conditions at Phillip Island largely determined by rain, we thought it would be a godsend for Danilo Petrucci, who is always agile on wet tarmac. But Petrux is only discovering the WSBK and his Panigale V4R in these conditions so, in terms of getting a private rider on Ducati, he let Bassani do it. However, he fulfilled his goal of finishing in the top 10, even after losing a place on the green carpet following a sanction…
Danilo Petrucci had a turbulent start in WSBK in Australia this Saturday. The pilot Barni Ducati was thrown into the deep end of the World Superbike race on a wet track which he was still able to handle well since he crossed the finish line eighth. But soon after, officials demoted him to ninth.
A sanction which Petrux does not take umbrage with, and for good reason: “ Xavi Virgo attacked me in the last corner, I tried to defend myself, he closed on me and we touched twice. I was aggressive and didn't give him space, but I didn't think he would come back the first time. Fortunately no one fell, I do not contest the decision of the commissioners ».
Danilo Petrucci: “ I made the settings at random, I went blind«
As we can see in the images, there is no dispute between the two drivers either. So Petrux analyzes his race: “ it was an odyssey: I had never tried the bike in the wet, I had never tested the tires, not even the electronics, I made the settings randomly. I only knew the track, but I had never raced at Phillip Island in the rain: I went in blind ».
Seen from the inside, it looked like this: “ there was no visibility, I was always behind the other pilots and in certain places I could see nothing. I'm happy to have reached the end because it was a very tiring race, not physically but mentally. Not knowing tires and electronics, I ran like a cat when it sees water... I'm the best of the rookies, but I would have liked to finish further ahead. But I must be happy without ever having used Pirelli rain tires ».
Danilo Petrucci finished : " I thought it would have been much worse, between the poor visibility and not knowing how long the tires would last, I had to stay calm. I was driving blind, I couldn't even calculate my speed. I had to finish this race, I did and so the goal was achieved ". The rest tomorrow, Sunday, with two races including its first sprint version...
WSBK Superbike Phillip Island Race 1: standings
Credit classification wsbk.com
