What was initially just an idea thrown around for Petrucci and KTM has now turned out to be a very serious project. Running out of opportunities in MotoGP and assured of being fired at the end of the year by a KTM factory whose boss Stefan Pierer has clearly admitted his aversion to tall riders on his RC16, the idea of making a Dakar on a machine from the Austrian brand has made its way. The opportunity for the Italian to get off the beaten track to flourish in a category where he also excels, particularly in his training. Today, the prospect of him being the first Grand Prix driver to take part in the Rally-Raids classic appears more and more clearly...
The career of Danilo Petrucci is decidedly original. He arrived in the Grand Prix directly via the MotoGP after being trained in the paddock of Superbike. He became an official pilot Ducati and he is a double winner in the premier category, which is no small thing. And now he is heading towards rally raids to continue his activity as a racing driver and representative of the same factory KTM who no longer wants him on his RC16…
A diversity that he also recalls on the eve of the British Grand Prix in Silverstone : “ the first time I raced here, I won, but I was in Superstock so another world ". And he will apparently continue to discover new worlds: “ I have not received any interesting offers from Superbike, it is therefore better to continue with KTM, with whom I started planning a project linked to the Dakar. Honestly, this is what I want to do the most. Now the next step is to sit at a table to enter the details, but, for me, it's decided ».
So no return home Ducati on the horizon in WSBK. But rally-raid, with this particular approach to the environment… “ I spoke to riders from the off-road world, which is very different from my current planet. Sometimes you sleep in a tent, you wake up at four in the morning to start a five-a-side special: it's something that I love and that I want to do. In MotoGP, I realized that we spent more time looking at the data rather than riding, whereas elsewhere we drive more and we talk or post fewer photos ».
Petrucci: “the fact that KTM still wants me with them makes me very happy"
If he sends a dig at his current paddock, he no longer holds it against KTM: “ I think KTM had pressure related to Raul Fernandez, who they didn't want to lose, which led the factory to move in a way that wasn't quite right. But then we found ourselves, and the fact that they still want me with them makes me very happy. Personally, this year I did my best on and off the track, but I am the first to say that the current results are not good for me or for KTM ».
He ends with the awareness that this is a new challenge that he will have to take on: “ I think I have two or three years to learn how to be competitive off-road., where perhaps my body can be an advantage. I don't know if I will have offers to return to the track in the future, but I certainly won't forget how to ride a motorcycle on asphalt ". It will be recalled that KTM promised that the rally-raid motorcycle of Petrucci would be in the colors of his current team Tech3...
