Petrucci did not use SCQ rubber
Practically the entire Superbike grid was present at the two-day test in Jerez, and – thanks to an ideal climate for taking to the track – the times gave a clear idea of the values on the field for the season which will begin in February in Australia: the top ten riders are all very close both in terms of race pace and time attack. Among them there is also the Barni Spark Racing Team driver Danilo Petrucci, long in the Top 5 of the ranking during the second day of testing. With a Ducati Panigale V4 RS in 2024 configuration, the rider from Terni put on the soft tire before 1pm and stopped the clock at 1:38.907, doing better than the time from the Superpole in October and placing himself in fifth position. In the final half hour many riders mounted the SCQ tire again, not Petrux who slipped to ninth.
Danilo Petrucci: “For me It wasn't an excellent test. I'm happy, but I wanted to do a little more. We have the same problems as last year: I'm fast, but I can't make the difference that others make with the new tire and the soft tyres. I have to work hard to understand what it takes, and at the same time try to go fast. Both yesterday and today, in terms of lap times, but also in race pace, the gaps were contained. We are not far from the others, but I certainly wanted to be further ahead in the standings at the end of these two days. In Portimao we will certainly still have a lot of work to do.”
Marco Barnabò (team principal): “We are trying a lot of new things with both Superbike and Supersport and we still have some work to do before Australia, especially with Danilo in Portimao. Here in Jerez there was a practically full Superbike grid and we saw that only Bulega made the difference, the others are all collected, two/three tenths are enough to be third or tenth and we are in the game. We have to find that combination that allows us to take the final step: we continue to work to get closer to what Danilo wants and he increasingly adapts his riding style to this bike.”
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