Danilo Petrucci is getting his bearings after an epic Dakar worthy of this type of event, full of suffering and satisfaction. A total change of scenery and absolute involvement, with only those of the race as values. This is what Petrux needed to recharge his batteries in order to better write a second part of his career where he will no longer sacrifice his human qualities. Which will lead it to evolve in categories with manufacturers who accept them. So it will be MotoAmerica with Ducati in 2022. But what happened with KTM?
Public chat Mowmag, Danilo Petrucci resurfaced on the web after a performance at Dakar Rally whose impact exceeded all expectations: “ I made the first record of my life, I'm really happy, now I can retire with peace of mind » said Petrux. “ The thing that surprised me the most was that people asked me to do the live! I didn't expect that practically the whole world would follow the Dakar. Many people wrote to me, with some pilots we spoke every day ».
He remembers : " It was one of the most powerful experiences of my life, so much so that it is difficult to summarize it now in a few words. It had never happened to me that for 2 weeks I had to get up at 3 a.m., get on my motorcycle at 4 a.m. while it was still dark and come back after about 12 hours. All kinds of things happened to me. I broke my ankle, then there was covid, then the bike stopped… But I also managed to win, I didn't expect it. Winning a stage is the greatest satisfaction ».
Danilo Petrucci: “ I'm happy like a child, even if everything hurts«
Certainly, but all that still paid for itself… “ I am happy like a child, even if everything hurts. The wrist, the ankle, the arm, the back, I did some x-ray exams and we didn't know where to start. I hope I can get through this without having to go into the operating room. But we'll see. I'm not saying that I would leave tomorrow for the Dakar, but I am very happy to have had this experience and to have lived it like this. Because I feel even more like a biker than a pilot ».
However, there was still a failure: “ I would also have liked to stay with KTM, but there was something in the communication between me and KTM that never worked as it should. We took it well, but not completely, there was too much misunderstanding both last year in MotoGP and on the Dakar and for that I chose to look around me ". And looking, he saw that the doors of Ducati opened up again for a program that perfectly matched his new expectations: adventure, again, but in America!
« First love is motorcycles he says. " Ducati, perhaps, was the love of a lifetime. In any case, relations with Borgo Panigale remained excellent and it was almost a natural return. After MotoGP I wanted to pursue other dreams, like the Dakar and to live in the United States for a while. We know that I had requests from the Superbike World Championship, but that would have been a commitment that would not have left room for anything else, because for a rider it changes little, from a physical point of view, training and things to do, whether you're competing in the MotoGP or Superbike World Championship ».
« MotoAmerica will be a commitment that I will take with the greatest seriousness, but it is clear that it is different and, in any case, it leaves doors open. This is not a fallback solution, it is a choice made with complete conviction, but which was not dictated solely by the fact of being a pilot » explains Petrux who ends: “ as I have said, I've been dreaming of living in the United States for a while and that's what I'm going to do. I'm looking at apartments, I chose Pennsylvania, probably in an area a few hours from New York, but I'm still deciding on the exact location. I want to do well. Ducati believes in it a lot and it is no coincidence that we are going to do the first tests in Europe: the team is very competitive, but all Ducati is behind this project. The United States is clearly a tempting market ". It will be recalled that Petrux will succeed the Frenchman in this project Loris Baz.
