Petrucci wraps up the 'Indepent Championship' at Estoril after life threatening crash earlier in the season
10/14/2024 05:44 AM
Danilo Petrucci was crowned the 2024 World Superbike Independent Riders Champion at Estoril.
Danilo Petrucci entered his second season in the World Superbike Championship in 2024. For this season there were high expectations of the former MotoGP rider. However, not many would have guessed just how dramatic Petrucci's season would have been.
The Italian rider claimed his first World Superbike victories earlier in the season. Petrucci won all three races at the Italian round of the season at Cremona, a new track on the calendar. However, earlier on in the season the #9 suffered life-threatening injuries in a training accident.
Speaking on the injuries he sustained Petrucci said: "I must say that the accident I had made me understand the value of life and what matters. From the accident, I had during the training in April, from that moment on we had always good fights in the top five, and in August and September we were really good. Now I have no pressure, I still have a good fight with Alex Lowes for fourth place in the Championship."
After a difficult weekend at Estoril, Petrucci was crowned the 2024 World Superbike Independent Riders Champion. The Italian rider won three races and stood on seven further podiums during the 2024 season.
Heading into the 2025 season there are now even bigger expectations on Petrucci's shoulders. Petrucci was asked after the penultimate round of the 2024 season if he could fight for the title in 2025.
Responding to the potential chance of being a strong contender in 2025, the 33-year-old explained: "It would be really tough to fight for the title next year. I think it would be good to fight for the top 3 in the championship. Looking at the people who are in front of us, big names, especially Toprak, Nicolo and Alvaro, really good riders and you have to be perfect to beat them. I don't know about the title but it would be really nice to finish in the top 3. We will still fight and first of all we have to finish in a good way this championship."
The post Petrucci wraps up the 'Indepent Championship' at Estoril after life threatening crash earlier in the season appeared first on BikeSport News.
