Danilo Petrucci and Ducati meeting up in MotoAmerica was a rumor that became a strong rumor and is now news that we are waiting for official. Petrux will do the Dakar on a KTM in Tech3 colors in January, but as soon as he has eaten his desert, he will return to a regime that he knows better, the track. And the dish will be American, served by Ducati, the brand with which he spent most of his career and whose estrangement only lasted one season in MotoGP…
We even talk about it in the corridors of Ducati : Danilo Petrucci will arrive in MotoAmerica in 2022 as replacement of Loris Baz who will find this year the WSBK thanks to BMW. Petrux would enjoy a lucrative contract to race with his favorite brand within the structure of Warhorse HSBK New York. The Italian rider from Terni will benefit from full official support from the Bologna headquarters, ahead of the 2023 season for his possible move to the World Superbike Championship.
Petrucci won the Italian Superstock Championship in his native Italy in 2011 and finished second in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup the same year. Petrux, a test rider for Ducati's Superbike project, moved to MotoGP in 2012 with the IodaRacing project. In his second year, the Italian scored 11 points. After a wrist injury, Petrucci joined the Octo Pramac Yakhnich team and achieved his first podium in 2015 at Silverstone. 2017 was his best season in these colors, with numerous podiums and occasional attacks on victory. He remained with the team in 2018 and impressed again, taking a place on the factory team Ducati in 2019.
Danilo Petrucci will succeed Loris Baz at Uncle Sam
Petrucci began his career with the factory team with a first victory at the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello and then achieved a total of nine top six finishes. Things got complicated in the second half of the season when Petrucci fell from third to sixth place overall. 2020 was a difficult year for the Italian as he couldn't find the speed or consistency for the top positions. However, he also had his moment of glory when he took victory in the rain at Le Mans and thus recorded his second victory in the premier class. Ultimately, he finished 12th in the championship. In 2021, he joined Red Bull KTM Tech3 without achieving the results expected of him.
Without prospects, he decided to leave MotoGP thinking of a reconversion to rally raids with KTM. An idea that will be a reality at the Dakar. But then, he should return to his first loves, namely Ducati in Superbike…
