The Autodrom Most was the scene of Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) making an emotional return to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rostrum after he finished second in Race 1 after a fierce fight with compatriot Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven). The two Italians were separated by just a tenth across the line of the 22-lap Race 1 for the Czech Round, with ‘Petrux’ holding on to P2.

It was the first time Petrucci stepped on the podium since the season-opening Australian Round, but it was also his first visit to the top three in a race since his comeback from severe injuries he suffered in a motocross accident in April. He returned to action at Misano and secured three top-ten finishes, including a heroic P6 in Sunday’s Race 2, before repeating a best of P6 at Donington. Having shown good pace on Friday, the #9 claimed sixth in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session before climbing up the field to secure a podium place.

Discussing his return to the rostrum, Petrucci said: “It’s incredible. After my accident, the last thing I remember, I thought, ‘this time, I’m going to die’. I simply closed my eyes and woke up a few minutes later. A few days later, the doctor didn’t know if I was able to go racing again. After one week, I was feeling better. I went back home and started to think that I was doing well, so I’ll jump on the bike as soon as I can. Misano was a nightmare because I was riding with one arm. I still have no strength, but it’s not even three months since I crashed. It’s something unbelievable.”

Petrucci started the race from sixth but immediately gained two places to run in fourth at the end of the opening lap. He ran there for the first eight laps before passing Iannone for third on Lap 9 and then moving into second when he got ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) a lap later. He tried to pull out a gap over the two Italians behind him, but Iannone was able to go with his compatriot. Despite ‘The Maniac’ keeping the pressure on, he wasn’t able to get close enough to make a move and Petrucci held on for his fifth WorldSBK podium and second of the year.

Talking about the race and the fights he had on track, Petrucci said: “I was a little bit worried this morning because I wanted to start in the first row, but in the end, I was riding alone, and I did a good lap time with some mistakes. I said the second row was okay. In the first part of the race, I was in the tow of Nicolo and Andrea. Nicolo started to lose some confidence, so I thought it was a good time to go. I passed Andrea and Nicolo and decided it was time to push. I was quite surprised on the first lap because I saw 0.5 and it was easier than I thought! A few laps later, Andrea started to gain ground on me and then he was able to pass me. I thought it was Bulega and when I saw Andrea, I said, ‘No’. I know him very well and at the end of the race, he’s always difficult to manage. I pushed 100% until the end. I’m still riding with one arm. I’m really struggling on the bike. One of my best races in WorldSBK!”

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