Danilo Petrucci “felt like I’m going to Paris” in “long” French WorldSBK Race 1
Pit stops and wet weather contributed to a drawn-out WorldSBK Race 1 in France, but Danilo Petrucci secured his fifth podium of the season.
Danilo Petrucci took yet another podium finish in WorldSBK Race 1 at Magny-Cours, despite a lack of experience on Pirelli’s wet tyres.
This lack of experience was compounded by a second-lap crash in Superpole for Petrucci, which hampered his confidence.
What was going to be a long race for the Italian, anyway, was made longer by variably wet conditions. The track was drying at the start, then it rained, and then in the second half of the race standing water began to build.
“[The race] was really really long,” Petrucci said after the race in parc ferme. “I felt like I’m going to Paris, because the race was so long, incredible.
“Then there was a lot of water, especially at the beginning and at the end. This morning I did just two laps on the wet because then I crash [in Superpole], so my feeling was not the best.
“Also, in the race, I struggled so much, but I said ‘okay, I just need to stand up and finish the race.’
Complicating matters for Petrucci in Race 1 was his lack of experience with Pirelli’s wet tyres.
“Not easy,” he told WorldSBK.com, “because I think it’s my third time riding with wet Pirelli tyres. This morning, I got a good confidence in qualifying but I crashed after the second lap so I understood that I need to stay calm today.
“Then it was so tough because the weather forecast says rain, but we didn’t know when. So, everyone started with slicks and I tried to stay out with slick tyres hoping for the rain to stop.
“But, in fact, it was pouring down, and we need to stop [to change tyres].
“Sincerely, we need to find a good setup for the rain because the bike was sliding a lot with the throttle, it was impossible to open the throttle. I tried to stay with Alvaro [Bautista], but it was not possible.
“ At the end, it’s always good to stand on the podium, also because we are absolutely not in a good shape on the wet condition.”
Petrucci’s Superpole crash left him 10th on the grid, something he aims to improve on in tomorrow’s Superpole Race to give himself a better chance of repeating his podium finish in Race 2.
“It’s really important,” Petrucci said of Sunday morning’s 10-lapper, “because [...] there are a lot of riders that can stand on the podium, so it’s always difficult.
“Qualifying position and starting position is really important, it matters a lot. So, we’ll see. I need to gain some positions tomorrow in the Superpole Race.”
