Danilo Petrucci on MotoAmerica: “I was quite scared back then”

Danilo Petrucci will have to look for a new direction for 2027. Brad Binder is set to take his place in the BMW works team for the World Superbike Championship. It remains to be seen whether Petrucci will stay with the manufacturer in another championship. One possible route is back to MotoAmerica, where the Italian already competed in 2022.

Petrucci was most recently a guest at the MotoAmerica weekend in Austin. “I was really happy to be there. It had been a long time since I’d been to a race without competing myself,” he said in Cremona. “I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the paddock. I think the championship is continuing to develop.”

According to him, his visit was initially an invitation to an event with customers and sponsors. “I just wanted to see everyone again, be with the team and watch the races. Unfortunately, I hardly got on the bike at all – it was just a few laps as part of a promotional event,” explained Petrucci. He said he couldn’t draw any conclusions from this about the current standard of the bikes or the series: “It wasn’t a test day. I didn’t have the chance to get a proper feel for things.”

Safety in MotoAmerica: Petrucci less critical than in 2022

Petrucci isn’t surprised that the visit nevertheless sparked questions about his future. “As I’ve already said, I’d like to stay with BMW. That was one of the ideas we discussed. At the moment, however, I don’t have anything concrete on the table,” he clarified in Cremona. “It was nice to be in Austin, watch the race and then come back. Perhaps I’ll know a bit more after this weekend.”

MotoAmerica 2022: Danilo Petrucci wurde mit Ducati Vizemeister

Foto: Ducati

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During his MotoAmerica outing in 2022, Petrucci had strongly criticised the safety of some US circuits. He hadn’t had those concerns in Austin even back then: “For me, that was one of the few really good circuits.” His view at the time must also be understood in the context of his move from MotoGP. “In terms of safety, the difference compared to MotoAmerica was huge. That was really difficult for me.”

He’s now more used to narrower tracks and less-than-perfect tarmac. “I was quite scared back then. On top of that, I had a crash after which I was left lying on the inside of the track. I was very annoyed about that,” Petrucci recalled. Today, he sees things differently in some respects. Whether he will therefore return to race permanently in the US in 2027 remains to be seen, however.