Former MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci will attend the WorldSBK test at Portimao next month before a likely move to MotoAmerica.
At the February 8th-9th test, Petrucci will complete his return to Ducati, riding a Panigale V4 R. The Italian will compete alongside Aruba.it Ducati riders Alvaro Bautista and Michael Rinaldi, while 2021 World Champions Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea are making the headlines in action too.
Next month’s test is also expected to herald a move to MotoAmerica with Ducati Team Warhorse HSBK – the same team Loris Baz rode for in 2021.
After it was confirmed by KTM that Petrucci would not be staying at Tech 3 for 2022, rumors of a full-time move to WorldSBK surfaced.
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However, with the Italian shifting his focus to the Dakar Rally and Ducati’s satellite teams GoEleven and Barni Racing signing young WorldSSP talents Philipp Oettl and Luca Bernardi, a move to Superbikes was out of the question.
But with an opening up to the full Warhorse factory team and a return to the manufacturer he’s currently had the most success with in MotoGP, Petrucci could follow a path similar to Baz’s.
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The French rider retired from World Championship racing to compete in MotoAmerica and despite being winless in his only season in the States, a consistent string of podiums and good performances saw him called up to replace an injured Chaz Davies for round ten and eleven of the 2021 WorldSBK season. Baz took two podiums in his five races before securing a move to Bonovo BMW for 2022.
Petrucci, who despite having no previous rally-raid experience and suffering an ankle injury ahead of this month’s Dakar, won stage five, becoming the first former MotoGP rider to ever win a stage. It was a brilliant performance from Petrucci, who is likely to return to the Dakar in the future.