Sunnyvale, Calif., April 24, 2022 – Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) rode the emotional roller-coaster at Road Atlanta this weekend, taking a resounding three victories in a row with race one but suffering the heartache of a mechanical DNF while starting second in race two.
On the Italian’s first visit to the world-famous racing venue, Petrucci took the first race win over Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) after Jake Gagne (Yamaha) crashed out of the lead, perching him on a perfect 75 points in the championship.
That was to be the high point of the weekend as race two saw a series of delays, first caused by a rider crashing and causing a red flag. The long delays on the grid provided the perfect conditions for a mechanical problem, and Petrucci was out of the race on lap two with a DNF.
Despite the DNF, luck still smiled on Petrucci and the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team as Scholtz also failed to finish, meaning Petrucci still leads the championship heading into round three at VIRginia International Raceway in three weeks’ time.
2022 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Standing – Top 5
P1 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 75
P2 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 60
P3 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 49
P4 – Hector Barbera (Ducati) 46
P5 – Richie Escalante (Suzuki) 42
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – Ducati #9): “It was a disappointing Sunday,” Petrucci said after race two. “I did the best lap time in the warm-up, and I was ready to race but because of delays we idled the engine for too long and suffered a terminal engine problem. It’s quite sad to lose a race this way.”
