Danilo Petrucci feeling ‘increasingly comfortable’ after strong Catalunya round

Seventh in Saturday’s WorldSBK Race 1, Danilo Petrucci had late race pace which was again the case during Sunday’s double-header.

Petrucci managed to claw his way back through the field following a difficult start to Race 2.

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“A top five is always a good result even though it's our minimum target,” said Petrucci. “We were the top independents in Race 2 and brought home some points, so it works!

“This was probably one of our less favourable tracks due to low grip and tire management.

“Speaking generally, I'm happy because I feel really good with the bike, and the team is doing a great job, so I can't wait to go to Assen, which on the other side is one of my favourite circuits.

“Hopefully, the weather will be nice and cool. There will be good grip in the fast corners, and I can't wait to tackle those fifth gear corners with this Ducati Panigale V4 R, which I feel increasingly comfortable with.”

While Petrucci enjoyed another strong round, fellow satellite Ducati rider Michael Rinaldi suffered a crash after contact with Andrea Locatelli and Axel Bassani, in Race 2.

“Difficult weekend, which started badly and ended worse,” said Rinaldi. “In turn 4 I was accelerating together with Locatelli but I was forced to choose the inside line and involuntarily touched Axel Bassani.

“These things happen. This is a racing accident in which I involved another innocent rider to whom I apologize.

“Let's archive everything and think about the next one.”