Danilo Petrucci confirms MotoAmerica switch with Ducati
After becoming the first ever rider to win in both MotoGP and the Dakar Rally, Danilo Petrucci has all-but-confirmed a switch to MotoAmerica will take place in 2022.
The Dakar stage five winner, who hinted at such a move while the 2022 Rally was taking place, has since gone a step further by confirming a return to Ducati will now go ahead.
Winner of two MotoGP races with Ducati in 2019 and 2020, Petrucci then switched to Tech 3 KTM for what turned out to be his final season in grand prix racing.
Having won two races in 2020 with Miguel Oliveira, the Herve Poncharal-led team only managed just one top five between both riders Petrucci and Iker Lecuona - came courtesy of Petrucci at Le Mans.
Petrucci’s fifth place finish was the first of three top ten results as he went on to claim 21st in the championship which was his worst finish since joining MotoGP in 2012.
Despite that, Petrucci is now set to take up a third different championship in the space of one year as he joins the factory-backed Dark Horse HSBK team aboard a Ducati Panigale V4 R - same team that another former MotoGP rider Loris Baz competed for in 2021.
Speaking about his intention to compete in MotoAmerica although an official announcement has not yet been made, Petrucci told CycleWorld.com; "I’m happy because it was Ducati that contacted me. They did everything to get me. It’s very satisfying.
"When I left the MotoGP Ducati factory team, I remained on good terms with Claudio Domenicali, Gigi Dall’Igna, Paolo Ciabatti, and Davide Tardozzi. They pushed to have me in MotoAmerica. It’s a satisfaction."
Part of the Italian’s decision to join MotoAmerica was his desire to race in the United States, a place he’s ‘always been in love with’.
Petrucci continued: "It’s a life experience, I have the opportunity to live abroad and ride motorbikes, which is the thing I love most. I have always been in love with the United States. I love the lifestyle over there, the open spaces."
Before joining Ducati in MotoAmerica, Petrucci is set to make his WorldSBK debut at next month’s official test (February 8-9).
