Along with the return of Marc Marquez is the big attraction of this French GP at Le Mans. Daniel Petrucci vive yet another adventure of these last few years full of surprises, changes of plans, different bikes, different championships.
The pilot more multifaceted of the world is ready for the second return to MotoGP. But let’s go over the last four incredible years of Petrux.
2019: the arrival in the official Ducati team is sealed by wonderful victory at Mugello with that magical overtaking on Dovizioso and Marquez
2020: the year of Covid is also a difficult year for Danilo on his Ducati but the noteworthy acuteness is there: he is victory in the rain right at Le Mans, where this weekend he replaces Enea Bastianini
2021: negative year in KTM, with Danilo never finding a great feeling on the orange bike. The best result? Needless to say: fifth at Le Mans
2022: This is perhaps the most outstanding year so far. At the beginning of the year vittoria in the fifth stage of the Dakar (“I wanted to leave a mark in motorsport and I did!”), then the adventure in the United States with Ducati for l’Ama Superbike finished in second place with five wins. At the end of the year first return to MotoGP: with Suzuki to replace the injured Mir, in Thailand
2023: the passage into Superbike World Championship, with a Ducati of the Barni team. Another different adventure, a championship in which he hasn’t yet fully adapted, for now he’s orbiting around tenth position, with a fifth place in Mandalika as his best result. Now the second return to MotoGP, still in Ducati, still in official red, to replace Bastianini.
The French track is particularly successful for Petrucci: a victory, a second and a third place in MotoGP. Who knows, maybe if it rains… in the meantime though what a beautiful story that of Danilo Petrucci!
These are his words on the eve of Le Mans: “Returning to racing together with the Ducati Lenovo Team in MotoGP is for me an indescribable emotion, above all because I will do it on a track where in 2020 I achieved my last victory in the world championship. I will have the honor of testing the World Champion bike! It will certainly not be an easy weekend, also considering the weather conditions, but in the past I’ve always been competitive in the wet. However, the goal is to have fun and do a good job together with the team”.
