It was a visibly very marked Danilo Petrucci who appeared at the post-race press conference for the first confrontation on the difficult Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta circuit as part of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship.
And, although victorious, the rider representing Ducati in the USA with his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati New York team was not really happy! Not because he probably owes this victory only to the fall of Jake Gagne (Fresh N’ Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing) then in the lead, but rather because of the behavior of some late riders.
It should be remembered that the level of the American championship is very heterogeneous and that it is therefore not uncommon, as was the case today, for the leading drivers to take more than one lap from the laggards…
The words of Danilo Petrucci are quite eloquent: Honestly, I started studying the circuit by watching some on-board videos and some shopping a little on Youtube, but I thought it was easier. This circuit is really not for boys but for men, because it is very different compared to our European standards. There are lots of bumps, big kerbs and the walls are very close here, although the track is very good. The first carousel is very difficult for me to understand and I lost a lot of time there. Let’s say that I struggled a lot with traction and that I didn’t come out of the corners with great speed. I had to win everything under braking but today it was very hot and I suffered. I thought it would have been easier but a bunch of drivers were jamming in the middle of the track and Mathew (Scholtz) gained a lot of time there. Then I pushed like hell to finish the race and it was very, very difficult. We have to do something regarding a lot of riders: we respect them and they have to respect because we race and fight for the top positions! I don’t think it’s okay to do as they do and stub in the middle.
But hey, it’s racing. Tomorrow will be tough. I tried to stay with Jake as much as possible but I was a bit quicker on some braking whereas he was definitely quicker in the first sector. I tried to stay there and hold him but unfortunately he fell. We have to tune the bike to find solutions for tomorrow, and hopefully that will work. »
Revenge tomorrow… With, hopefully, fewer ups and downs for the two R1s of the Fresh N’ Lean Progressive Yamaha Racing team.
MotoAmerica Medallia Superbike Race 1 Press Conference at Road Atlanta 2022 https://t.co/GXf6rakqjg
– MotoAmerica (@MotoAmerica) April 23, 2022
