This Thursday, Danilo Petrucci present in Thailand to replace Joan mir still injured, Danilo Petrucci told journalists in detail how this unusual replacement took place.
It all started in the USA, where the Ducati representative was fighting for the title in the final of the MotoAmerica.
« J’ai reçu l’appel avant la course de dimanche en Alabama,
alors que je me battais encore pour le titre. J’ai alors dit:
“Laissez-moi y réfléchir !”. Après la course, je suis retourné à la
tente et à 18h mon manager m’a dit “Nous devons décider maintenant
car sinon nous n’aurons pas le temps d’aller en Thaïlande depuis
les USA. J’ai dit “OK, on y va”. À partir de ce moment,
c’était comme si je me mettais dans une machine à laver
!
J’étais avec mon frère aux États-Unis et il devait partir en
vacances à New York. Alors j’ai dit “Non, tu retournes en
Italie parce que tu dois attendre les cuirs Suzuki”. Il vient en
Thaïlande maintenant, alors je dois des vacances à mon frère et à
sa petite amie (rires). J’ai quitté l’hôtel à 6h du matin en
Alabama lundi et je viens d’arriver ici. J’ai traversé le Pacifique
en avion, j’ai donc fait un tour du monde complet, en partant de
l’Italie ! »
Sensed by his compatriot Livio Suppo, Racing Consultant, the Italian still can't get over being so appreciated in the paddock, all brands combined...
« I just can't explain how emotional I am. Not even an Alfred Hitchcock story could have seen me racing the Dakar with KTM, then going to the States with Ducati, and now here with Suzuki. No one has ever done that! I am so happy ! This is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received in my life. All these manufacturers, from KTM to Ducati to Suzuki have been so nice to me. I'm so happy to have a good relationship with all these people in the paddock. Apart from sporting achievements, this is the best thing I have ever accomplished. I'm really happy to shake everyone's hands when I walk through the paddock today. It's something that makes me proud. I couldn't say no to this offer. I mean, I would have swum across the Pacific to get on the bike! »
Absent from MotoGP for almost a year, Petrux has not set himself any goals, even if he has always appreciated the rain...
« I hope it rains all the time, or at least until Sunday at 16 p.m.! I'm retired now and racing in Thailand was already difficult when I was in great shape. Now that I'm an old man, it will be even more difficult! So I sincerely hope that the weather will help me a little. At least it would make the race less physical and also because everything is smoother and easier. I just want to enjoy and finish the race. I think it's very difficult to finish in a position that isn't last place, but we'll see. Maybe the bike is so good that I'll immediately find a way and at least be able to stay closer to the other guys. I just want to give the best of myself. I don't care about the results, even if I want to go fast as always. I said the same thing when I went to the Dakar and didn't expect to win a stage. So my plan was just to enjoy and this week the goal is the same. It's sure that it will be difficult, also because the guys are at the end of the championship and are very used to their bikes. »
Habitué aux V4 depuis près de dix ans, “Handyman” va également devoir s’acclimater à certaines nouveautés…
« I haven't had the chance to sit on the bike yet, but they showed me the controls: all the systems are in different positions and we can't make any changes. I usually have a thumb brake and here the thumb brake is to activate the ride height device, so it's quite dangerous if I press that button in the corner like I would with the thumb brake. thumb. So I'm going to have to freeze my thumb and not touch it!
I have always driven V4 engines and it is an inline 4 cylinder. I only drove an inline 4 in 2013. with Ioda and the Suter BMW. But it was a different time. The bike, the position, everything is very different. We just took a look at some data, but everything is very different at the moment. I have to try the bike first and understand, also because in general, I always need something different in the setup, because of my size. But I'm just happy to be here, and tomorrow we'll try to figure out how difficult it will be. »
