After retiring from MotoGP in January, Danilo Petrucci contested the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia for KTM. He then moved to Ducati and MotoAmerica. A comparison to the motorcycle world championship.
Danilo Petrucci fought his way through the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in January with a few problems. The Italian even clinched an incredible stage win on the fifth stage with his KTM 450 Rally. Shortly after participating in the world’s largest cross-country rally, “Petrux” announced his move from KTM to Ducati – MotoAmerica would be his new home.
“I was just fed up with everything, I was tired. I knew that a switch to the Superbike World Championship would bring more or less the same pressure as I felt in MotoGP,” emphasized Petrucci with the colleagues from Crash.net. “I’ve said to myself I don’t want to retire, but I want to enjoy racing without that kind of pressure. That’s why I tried the Dakar Rally. Just as an experience to see if I can do this challenge.”
The two-time MotoGP race winner continued: “I thought going to America should be fun. See another continent, experience another country. The pressure is certainly low.”
“But after the Dakar I was under a lot of pressure to perform,” admitted the Italian. “Everyone looked at me when I moved to the United States. I like it anyway, I’m very grateful for this opportunity.”
MotoAmerica, the largest motorcycle road racing series in the United States, is managed by three-time 500cc World Champion Wayne Rainey. The racetracks in the US Superbike series calendar are particularly tough. “I understood that the tracks are very different from those in MotoGP. It’s similar to when I switched to British Superbikes. You really have to know the slopes because they are very bumpy, have many different asphalt sections and curves that I have never seen before,” explained the 31-year-old.
“It’s a good mix of fun and pressure or performance. My MotoAmerica bike is the same as the one in World Superbike. The big difference is the Dunlop tires, which I’ve never ridden before,” said the Ducati rider, who raced at Laguna Seca last weekend lost his championship lead to Jake Gagne (Yamaha).
“Sometimes in MotoAmerica you have to take corners slower than you actually could. For example, you will find two or three different asphalt surfaces or the wall is very close. Actually, you could still get a few tenths out, but if you fall, it can cause serious injury,” Petrucci said. “You can’t drive as fast as you can in a place that’s so dangerous. It requires a different approach, through a different level of danger. After my MotoGP years, I pay a lot of attention to the safety of drivers and people. »
Petrucci often has to justify himself. “Sure, the Dakar is very, very dangerous. When I complain about safety in MotoAmericaeveryone says: ‘Come on, you won a stage at the Dakar Rally and now you’re complaining about something like that?’»
“But it’s something completely different, because if something isn’t clear in the rally, you can brake and see what’s coming over the cliff. The danger comes when you think you have everything under control. For example, a fall at top speed,” the former GP pilot draws the comparison.