Danilo Petrucci is into his second season in the World Superbike Championship and has already stood on the rostrum in 2024.

Last year Danilo Petrucci made his long awaited debut in the World Superbike Championship. Throughout his rookie year the Italian veteran stood on the podium three times, once at Donington Park and twice at Most.

This year Petrucci did not have to wait until the middle of the season for his first podium of the year. The 33-year-old managed to finish in third place in the final race of the weekend at Phillip Island, the opening round of the 2024 season.

Earlier on in the weekend Petrucci finished eighth and 15th in Race One and the Superpole Race, ‘Petrux was able to bounce back in the final outing of the weekend and leave Australia in style.

Discussing his podium, Petrucci said: “It was amazing to finish on the podium. It was a great race and great battle. In Race 1, we were fighting for the podium, but we had a problem with the pit stop and I couldn’t fight with the top guys.

“On Sunday morning, I didn’t feel good with the bike and didn’t know why, so I was a little bit nervous in Race 2. I was in the leading group before the red flag. First of all, I hope Jonny is okay because I was just behind him, and his crash was massive. 

“After the red flag, we were always there. I wanted to be the top Independent. I tried to pass Iannone and then Rinaldi, but in the last lap, Iannone came back at me. I said, ‘okay, I need to be at least top Independent’ and when I went to overtake him, I saw Locatelli crash; I hope he’s okay too. I said ‘come on Danilo, just half a lap’.

“This is a good result. I’ve always been quite unlucky around Phillip Island. I love this track and place, but for one reason or another, I always left this place without a smile. Today, I’m really happy.”