It is an almost speechless Danilo Petrucci the one who appeared before the press at the end of an exciting weekend for him in Cremona. After winning Race 1, the rider from Terni repeated the result in the Superpole Race and in Race 2 showing that he had more than the competition on this occasion.
"I honestly did not expect to have this pace this Sunday. The afternoon race was also particularly long. I got off to a good start with the goal of staying in front and soon managed to gain a one-second lead. At one point I looked at the big screen, saw that Bautista was coming up, and realized that in view of his competitiveness in the last few rounds I had to push right away if I wanted to maintain the position, and so I tried to create a two-tenths-per-lap margin. I am really surprised that I led the pack for so long this weekend. I hope to repeat it again in Aragon," he said pugnaciously and determindly ahead of the next round.
After thanking everyone, the 33-year-old recalled a recent past that hurt just thinking about it: "In mid-April I was in the hospital full of fractures.Unlike others I was there for my passion, for what keeps me alive and what I know could kill me. The love of racing makes me accept the risks and dim the suffering and sacrifices."
Despite an unusual layout by any standards, the Lombardy track's world championship debut was a success: "The grandstands were full, I was looking for tickets for some of my friends and it was impossible. SBK deserves more races like this. To hear so much cheering for me was something priceless. Now I say something that nobody knows. I have a pending account with this circuit."
Danilo revealed what it was: "I was here in 2001 as a child on a dirt bike at the beginning of my journey, when I had a very serious accident that left me with a scar. Unsuitable circuit? I was afraid that it was too narrow, but I still managed to make overtakes. It's a matter of habit, for example in BSB and Moto America it's the custom. I hope we can return to racing here and go to similar tracks because our series is spectacular."
Finally, the tribute to Barni Racing with quite a jab at the Ducati factory: "Our workshop is here near Bergamo. We are small, but this time we beat the factory team."