Petrucci: “Not even in a Hitchcock movie I thought about this year”

The Italian Danilo Petrucci He returned in less than a year to the MotoGP World Championship and did so after participating the same year in Dakar Rally with KTMpilot in the United States with Ducati and return to MotoGP together suzuki

“Even in a story conceived by Alfred Hitchcock he could not imagine running a Dakar with KTM, then going to the United States with Ducati and finally coming here with Suzuki. I don’t think anyone has done this before.”

“And I am very happy. I have to say that this is one of the best gifts I have received in my life and I just want to thank the world of motorcycling for their gift to me. That all these factories, from KTM to Ducati, Suzuki, have been so good to me shows that outside of the brands this paddock is made of people and I love having such a good relationship with everyone of these people, apart from their sporting achievements. the best thing I ever took.”

“I already felt this feeling in Valencia when I left and when I went to Austin with the AMA -American Championship- I wanted to see all the MotoGP people, and Now I’m walking in the paddock and I can’t stop shaking people’s hands. This is something that makes me feel very proudPetrucci continued.

The Italian rider explained how it all happened: “They called me before the race on Sunday in Alabamawhen I was still fighting for the title, so I said, ‘ok, let me think about it’, because I’m retired and the race in Thailand was difficult when I was in the best shape, now that I’m an old man…” (laughs ).

“I sincerely thought that time would help me a little… After that last race I had a lot of problems with the media and I didn’t get back until six o’clock in the evening and my representative told me: ‘we have to make a decision now, because otherwise there will be no time to get to Thailand from United States’. And I said: ok”, explained Danilo Petrucci.

“From there, I put on a washing machine and I went here. I’m with my brother in America and we’re going to vacation there., in New York, and I told him ‘no, you have to go back to Italy to get the monkeys from Suzuki and then take them to Thailand’. I owe my brother and his girlfriend a vacation,” said the Italian driver.

“I was in Alabama at 6 a.m. on Monday and got here yesterday afternoon. It’s the first time I’ve flown across the Pacific. I’m from Italy and I’m going back there, so I’m on.” complete the Earth. But I can’t explain how happy I am“, he added.

Petrucci admitted that he expects rain throughout the weekend because “the race is becoming less physical.” “I haven’t sat on the bike yet but they showed me and all devices are in different positions, and we cannot change them. I have a thumb brake and I need to fix my thumb… But yeah, I hope it rains.”

“I was scared when I got here in MotoGP because it was so hot, it was one of the worst feelings that anyone can feel, so I hope to keep this opportunity because everything will be better, everything will be easier, then I just want to have fun and finish the race, but I think it will be difficult if not finish in a position not the latter; Let’s see, maybe the bike is so good, that I find the way and allows me to stay closer to others”, commented “Petrux”.

“I want to give my best, but I’m not worried about the result, although I want to go fast, as always and I have the same motivation as I went to Dakar and I don’t expect to win a stage there. My plan is to have fun, and this weekend it will be the same, to have fun,” insisted the Italian driver.

On the difficulties of his latest challenges, Danilo Petrucci recalled: “At least in Dakar I had the chance to test the bikealthough after a few days I was injured (laughs) and I had to try for three weeks and I only got one benefit, so I was a little scared when I got to Dakar.”

“This time I didn’t have a chance to test the bike and we were at the end of the championship and everyone is at a very high level on their bikes and, for me, last year was one of the worst in MotoGP and in the end I knew that I would go directly to Dubai to train for the Dakar, and then no I’m off. I went to the United States, so it’s hard to finish this season because it’s like two in one, but you can’t refuse an offer like this, I would have been swimming to ride this bike,” Petrucci said with a smile.

In any case, Danilo Petrucci acknowledged that it was very difficult for him to ride Suzuki. “I have always flown V4 engines, and this is online and the last time I flew one of these was in 2013 with Ioda, with Suter BMW, and this is another opportunity. It’s been almost ten years.”

“And then the bike, the position, the ergonomics, everything is very different, and I looked at some telemetry but everything seems different that I have to test the bike and then understand how it goes, because of my size I always need something different, so that it is necessary to go step by step to understand things, their way of working, which is different, but I’m happy to be here and tomorrow we will try to understand how difficult it will be“, acknowledged the Italian pilot.