“I have to reset my personal jet lag. Wake up at three in the morning and in bed at eight in the evening. Never happened.” Danilo Petrucci he enjoys the notoriety on the Dakar bivouac even if he immediately had to deal with the toughness of the race. The first few days he slept in a tent. Wake up at dawn and long hours of transfer (834 km on the first day) with the thermometer around 3-4 degrees.
“The Dakar is beautiful and I am passionate about it. Only by doing it do I realize how tough it is physically and mentally”, comments Danilo. His arrival from MotoGP to off-road in the ranks of KTM did not go unnoticed. Hero of amateurs, “Petrux” earned respect right from the start, finishing third in the early stages of the race and then winning stage 5, a 421-kilometer loop around the capital Riyadh. Second at the finish line at 4’41 “from Toby Price, and then first after the 6-minute penalty given to the winner Toby Price.
In stage 6 he then opened the track and a bad fall made him arrive all bruised to the traditional day of rest.
First of all, how are you?
“We needed a day of rest also because I made a nice flight in stage 6 and I haven’t recovered yet. I was opening the track on the route made the day before by the cars and trucks and at km 3 there was a step hidden in the sand and I crashed with Ross Branch, who hurt his leg very badly. In the accident I got a good blow and 5 points on the elbow. The race was then diverted, also because that was a really dangerous point “.
How hard was it to finish the stage?
“The pain was severe, so much so that at one point I was afraid I wouldn’t make it. I gritted my teeth and went on. Ricky (Brabec) and Nacho (Cornejo) arrived and we ran together. In all I did almost 500 km. It was tough and definitely an uphill start, but I’m satisfied with the first week of the race. “
Were you expecting a stage win on your debut?
“It was a great emotion, I didn’t expect it either. It was strange because I knew about the victory when I was in the embassy to redo my passport, so it was a bit of a virtual success, but the support that I received from Italy it was crazy. I’m happy “.
How did you experience this success at the bivouac?
“I was surprised by the warmth of the people, but unlike in MotoGP, there weren’t many celebrations here. The team continues to work with its head down because the race is still long.”
What is the goal now?
“To finish the race, also because it is not so obvious with so much pain”.
What amazed you the most about the Dakar?
“It’s a discipline that I wanted to try and I didn’t expect to be so competitive right away. Now I would like to prepare better and fight for the positions that matter. Also because I didn’t think it was so tough.”
When it hurts to think back to that fuse that cost you the maximum flat rate in the second special …
“It was inexperience. I also checked the fuse. It was a combination of factors. I also lost the phone to call Davide (Cotimbo), my mechanic. Let’s look ahead.”
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