Danilo Petrucci, who is no longer on the premier-class grid, will be rooting for friends and former opponents when he watches MotoGP on TV this season, describing the Dakar as the “most demanding thing I have ever done.”
Danilo Petrucci, who is presently making headlines for his outstanding Dakar Rally debut, will return to being a MotoGP fan this season after leaving the grid.
That includes watching races on television, which Petrucci has avoided in recent years due to the frustrating nature of his 2020 Ducati campaign – which included a wet victory at Le Mans – and farewell season at Tech3 KTM.
Crash.net asked Petrucci after his final race who he’ll be cheering for from the couch this season:
“In the last two years I didn’t watch the MotoGP races. When you don’t like yourself, you don’t look in the mirror! So watching the races for me was difficult,” replied the Italian.
“From [2022] I’ll start to watch the MotoGP races again on TV. One of the best friends I have is Jack [Miller]. He’s really similar to me… I’d like to see him winning, sincerely.
“There are many people, all the Italians that I am cheering for, but with Jack I have a special relationship.”
That connection became stronger throughout their time together at Pramac Ducati in 2018, and Petrucci had no ill feelings against Miller when he was hired to join the factory Ducati squad in 2021.
Last season, Miller won two races in the premier class, his first in the dry, and finished fourth in the world championship behind Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia, and Joan Mir’s Yamaha (Suzuki).
In the meantime, Petrucci appeared uneasy on the RC16 and, with no other MotoGP choices for 2022, followed his heart and accepted KTM’s surprising Dakar offer, but is also expected to return to asphalt with Ducati in MotoAmerica.
Miller dismissed Petrucci’s claim that he was the last ‘normal rider’ to make it to MotoGP during the Italian’s final race weekend.
“Danilo is one of these guys. He wants to sell himself short every time,” Miller said. “Danilo had a talent. But not only a talent, he worked for it. If you see photos of him on the Ioda with a [big] face out here like a moon and then when he hopped on the Ducati what he did to his body [weight loss] to change it, to be competitive here, he worked for it.
“The guy is a legend.”
Petrucci lived up to the praise by winning Stage 5 of the Dakar, an astounding achievement for any rookie, never alone one who has never competed in a Rally Raid event before. The Italian was third fastest on Stage 4 after being forced out of the overall Dakar race due to a Stage 2 electrical fault.
Today (Saturday), Petrucci will have a rest day, which will be especially welcome after a serious crash on Friday’s shortened Stage 6, which was treacherously torn up by four-wheel vehicles.
“It’s hard to put into words my emotions after what has happened over the last few weeks,” Petrucci said during the rest day. “From nearly missing out on the race [due to a Covid test result] to taking my first stage win – it feels like I have already lived a lifetime here at the Dakar.
“Everything has been new – the bike, the style of race, and I have to say it has been the most demanding thing I have ever done in my life. For sure my goal is to finish the race, but I have already enjoyed an incredible experience here, and I’m so happy that I had the opportunity to do it.
“I’m looking forward to the next week, it’s going to be tough, every day is very tiring, and I am learning all the time with the terrain and the navigation.
“Already, I am the first one in history to win a MotoGP race and a stage of the Dakar, so I have completed that goal, all that is left for now is to enjoy the rest of the race.”
KTM rally team manager Norbert Stadlbauer added: “Danilo has been incredible, we knew he would be able to hold his own offroad, but for him to take a stage win is very impressive.”
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