Iker Lecuona advises his mate Danilo Petrucci: “Enjoy life”

Iker Lecuona and Danilo Petrucci get on well despite a nine-year age difference. In the 2021 MotoGP season, they were team-mates and fellow sufferers at Tech3 KTM Factory Racing – back then, the KTM RC16 wasn’t as competitive as it is today. Whilst the Italian subsequently spent a year in MotoAmerica before moving on to the Superbike World Championship, the Spaniard joined the Honda Racing Corporation’s works team directly for the 2022 season.

From 2023 onwards, both rode in the top category of the production-based World Championship, but always for different teams and different manufacturers. This did nothing to dampen their friendship: when Petrucci celebrated his first Superbike victories in Cremona in 2024, Lecuona was visibly delighted for him. And the fact that the 35-year-old is struggling with BMW this year gives the Ducati factory riders pause for thought.

“In my opinion, Danilo is a first-class racing driver. He performed brilliantly in MotoGP and won races, and the same applies to the Superbike World Championship,” says Lecuona, speaking up for Petrucci. “He’s not getting on well with his current bike, and he also had a nasty crash at the start of the year – we mustn’t forget his serious crash in 2024 either. It saddens me when a top rider like him – or even Valentino and a few others – find themselves riding at the back of the field towards the end of their careers.”

At the Superbike meeting in Magny-Cours, BMW and the Italian announced publicly that their partnership in the 2027 Superbike World Championship would not be continuing. It now looks as though Petrucci will be returning to MotoAmerica, this time with the BMW OranceCat team.

Lecuona wished his mate all the best. “As a friend, I’d advise him to enjoy his life,” emphasised the Spaniard.

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In MotoAmerica, Petrucci could have it both ways: a few more successful years as a professional racing rider, whilst enjoying the laid-back lifestyle in the US.