Danilo Petrucci returns to the queen category of motorcycling at the hands of Suzuki. The Italian, who left MotoGP at the end of last year, responds to the call from the Hamamatsu factory to fill the vacancy of Joan Mir, still injured after suffering a heavy crash at the last Austrian Grand Prix, at the Grand Prix from Thailand.
Since his exit from the championship, Petrucci has become a globetrotter . In 2022, the Italian has competed in the Dakar and Motoamerica. In fact, ‘Petrux’ received the call shortly before racing in the US championship. “ They called me before I raced on Sunday, in Alabama. I told them to let me think about it, because this race, in Thailand, was already tough when I ran here, imagine now”, commented Danilo already at the Buriram circuit.
“From the moment I said yes, it’s been like getting into a washing machine. I can’t wait to get on the motorcycle. Theoretically I was going on vacation in the United States, and so was my brother. Now, I owe him a vacation,” he said with a laugh.
It will be the fifth brand for which Petrucci competes in MotoGP, after having passed through Ioda, ART, Ducati and KTM. “Not even Alfred Hitchock could have guessed that I would race the Dakar with KTM, the USA with Ducati, and now this with Suzuki. It’s the greatest gift I’ve ever been given. Best of all are the relationships I made here.”
But so much change means that Danilo has n’t seen himself in a grand prix for too long . In fact, his last campaign in the category was not one of the best. In that sense, Petrucci hopes that “it will not stop raining until four in the afternoon on Sunday.”
“I have to adapt to the bike, because nothing can be modified. Normally, I have the rear brake on my thumb, and on the Suzuki that is used to lower the rear bike. I am going to tie my thumb to my hand” .
“I hope I’m not the last, but I didn’t expect to win a Dakar stage either. On the Dakar it was tough, but at least I was able to test the bike. Here, no.” “One cannot say no to this offer; I would have come swimming,” he concluded, already dressed in blue.
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