It could well be that Chaz Davies will soon be competing in an eighth season in the World Superbike Championship with Ducati, given that Danilo Petrucci preferred to sign with KTM to ride in MotoGP. Petrucci stressed from the start that he wanted to continue riding in MotoGP, his manager Alberto Vergani negotiated with Aprilia and KTM. On June 25, it was announced that the 29-year-old rider will race for Red Bull KTM Tech3 in 2021. This ended speculation that Petrucci could take over as Chaz Davies at Ducati Aruba.it.
If his teammate Scott Redding has a contract with Ducati until the end of 2021, Davies must renegotiate. After Rea and Sykes, the Welshman is the most successful rider in recent years, with 25 victories on the Ducati Twin.
According to Ducati-Aruba team principal Serafino Foti, “We never spoke to Petrucci,” smiled the former pilot when he met Ivo Schützbach from Speedweek.com in the paddock of the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló. “Of course I understand Ducati's idea that if they don't find a good MotoGP machine, they will offer this bike to Petrucci. »
“Why not continue with Davies? Chaz is a top driver, he has won 30 races, he is our flagship. But when contracts expire, it's normal to talk to each other. This goes for drivers as well as manufacturers. We're going to have serious discussions with Chaz for the next two or three weeks, and we haven't spoken to any other drivers. »
“But before that, we need to know what our budget will look like next year. The last few months have been difficult for everyone, including our sponsors. Our goal is to continue with Chaz. The same goes for him, he has been riding a Ducati for seven years. »
“Chaz is without a doubt one of the best riders in the Superbike paddock, he is a three-time runner-up in the world,” Foti said. “He was Jonathan Rea's only opponent, we have a very good relationship with him. Chaz is a very good, kind boy – he is part of the family. »
Photos © Ducati
