Fifth in the Superpole Race and seventh in Race 2 Danilo Petrucci returns home from Estoril with a title in his pocket, that of best independent SBK rider, which arrived on a weekend that was anything but simple for the Terni native.
“We didn’t have high expectations for this event even though on Friday I was fast in both the wet and the dry and on Saturday I lost pole due to a mistake at the corkscrew and at the last corner. Unfortunately, turns 9 and 10 and the final one were my Achilles’ heel for the entire weekend because I lost half a second each time and in the end in 20 laps there are those 10 seconds that you need to fight for the top 5 or for the podium,” he said with regret.
“Toprak definitely had an edge, but all in all I’m happy. Looking at the score, it was my worst weekend of the year including the one in Misano where I returned and despite riding with only one arm I had collected two points. In any case, that’s fine, it was important to bring home this goal and have a good race even if we suffered and weren’t at our usual level. I’m especially sorry for yesterday, for the mistake,” he continued in his analysis.
The collaboration with Barnabò has therefore brought results and morale on both sides. “We had a great year together in 2011. This team allowed me to join Ducati by letting me try the Panigale SBK when I was 20, as well as to grow and get noticed. It’s thanks to him that I went to MotoGP and that’s why I wanted to come back and make him smile again. Barni and his family tried very hard to have me here. I know that if Marco has a euro in his pocket he invests it in the bike to make it more competitive and for me that’s what counts – he declared, later revealing that he hadn’t thought about the title at all when approaching the race – I just wanted to do well, and not ‘I did, but when I got to turn 7 everyone was celebrating and Davide, his son, gave me the t-shirt. I didn’t know that only one point would be enough to make it.”
Finally, a thought for Iannone with whom he battled for a long time. “I was aware that Andrea would try to pass me on the last lap. I’m happy to have fought with him because even if we are diametrically opposed in terms of character and lifestyle, we are friends and we are similar in many ways. Dueling with him gives me a lot of pleasure. In 2025 it will be one of the most difficult to beat.”