Danilo Petrucci and Ducati on Course For the Podium in Pittsburgh
The Medallia MotoAmerica Superbike points leader second on day one at PittRace
Sunnyvale, Calif., August 19, 2022 – Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC) ended the first day of racing action at the 2.78-mile Pittsburgh International Race Complex second overall, logging a best time of 1:41.230, 0.303-seconds off pacesetter Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha).
Petrucci has previous experience at PittRace, having completed the WERA Endurance event with HSBK Supersport teammate, Josh Herrin, last week, but admits the rigors of the Panigale V4 are somewhat different to those of the Supersport V2 on which he competed last week.
Regardless, Petrucci ended the day ahead of chief title rival Jake Gage (Yamaha) after completing 18 laps on Friday and is ready to mount a pole position attack in Q2 tomorrow morning.
Qualifying 1 Results – Top 5
P1 – Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha) 1:40.927
P2 – Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) 1:41.230
P3 – Jake Gagne (Yamaha) 1:41.271
P4 – Cameron Petersen (Yamaha) 1:41.672
P5 – Hector Barbera (BMW) 1:41.695
Danilo Petrucci (Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC – #9): “It was a challenging first day,” Petrucci said. “We need to find a more optimum set-up for our bike. We were here last week with the Panigale V2 in the endurance race and, for sure, it was an easier task than with the V4. With the bigger bike, it needs a bit more time to nail the right setting. Pole position will be critical tomorrow, so we have some work to do tonight to ensure we are in the right position to capitalize.”
Petrucci hits the track tomorrow at 10:15 am EDT for Qualifying 2, with race one scheduled for 3:10 pm EDT. Race two will kick off at 3:10 EDT on Sunday, August 21.
