“I was just afraid to die”: Danilo Petrucci on journey to historic first WorldSBK race win
“I thought it could be difficult to jump on the podium but after a few laps, I understood that I had good pace.”
Danilo Petrucci’s first World Superbike victory made him the first rider to win a MotoGP race, a MotoAmerica race, a Dakar stage, and a WorldSBK stage, but the journey to it was interrupted by a major crash.
Petrucci’s 2024 season was significantly derailed when he crashed in March while training ahead of the Dutch Round.
“I was just afraid to die,” Petrucci told WorldSBK.com about his crash, following his historic win in Race 1 at Cremona.
“I closed my eyes until we got to the ambulance and from that moment on, I said that this was my second chance and I started to be happy for what I have and be lucky and appreciate it instead of what I missed.
“I thought about the past and thought that maybe I could have done more on the sporting side, but, actually, I then thought after that I can still achieve great things.
“My results started to climb but it’s all my second chance.”
Speaking about the race itself, Petrucci said: “It’s unbelievable! It’s a great feeling because it was really unexpected after yesterday’s penalty (Petrucci was given a three-place grid penalty after he impeded Remy Gardner in FP2).
“I thought it could be difficult to jump on the podium but after a few laps, I understood that I had good pace.
“I hit the front but expected a better pace although I was leading. With five to go, the red flag came, and I started to think about two-thirds race distance. I was doing the maths, got to the pit box and then realised that I had won!
“I couldn’t believe it but when I took the helmet off, I could say that I won in MotoGP, Dakar and now back to road racing and winning in World Superbike.
“It’s something so unexpected; I have ticked all the boxes!
“When I hit the front, it was like I’d already seen this scene and I could win my first race like I did in Italy in MotoGP.
“However, this was just lap three or four. The race was really, really long and I was counting laps from 15 to go.
“It’s incredible that I achieved my first win in Italy again in front of the crowd, it’s something unbelievable and I appreciate everyone who joined us today.”
