Danilo Petrucci describes his departure at the Virginia International Raceway as "one of the worst crashes of my career". But the motorcycle pilot finds it even worse that no one seems to come to his aid. He lay there "more than two minutes" and then helped himself.
Motor sport is dangerous, motorcycle racing is particularly dangerous and that is why it is actually the case at these events in particular that the marshals have to be as attentive as possible at all times. For example, to provide help after a fall or to call for backup if a driver needs medical care. Danilo Petrucci could have used this attention at the weekend, instead the longtime MotoGP rider made serious accusations against the organizers of the Superbike Championship after his momentous departure from the MotoAmerica series.
The 31-year-old, who competed in the top motorcycle world championship from 2012 to 2021 and is now active in the USA, had a bad fall in the first corner after crossing the finish line at Virginia International Raceway. "I flew through three sponsor boards," said the Italian, who said he was traveling "at 280 kilometers per hour" at the time. "I slipped over a hundred meters, it was definitely one of the worst falls of my career." However, the immediate intervention of the marshals, which was expected and necessary in such cases, did not materialize: "I lay there without help for more than two minutes and heard the motorcycles racing past me."
Petrucci published some pictures of his injuries on his social media channels, which only give an idea of how painful the accident must have been. "I sustained multiple burns, multiple bruises and a deep cut on my ankle that required five stitches." Because there was no help on the circuit in the US state of Virginia, according to Petrucci, he then "pulled himself up" and "walked alone to the medical center". Every organizer must provide this medical center in order to treat minor injuries or, if necessary, to instruct onward transport to a clinic.
The only positive thing about this experience for Petrucci is that he only fell after crossing the finish line and will probably not miss any races. After winning three out of four rounds in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship on the first two race weekends, he went winless this time in Virginia. With places four and three, the Ducati rider from the Warhorse HSBK Racing team maintained his lead in the overall standings, even though the pursuers Mathew Scholtz and Virginia double winner Jake Gagne reduced the gap significantly.
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