Barcelona is a track that Danilo Petrucci knows well, having conquered a podium in MotoGP. The rider from Terni returned to brushing the Montmelo curves this weekend for the first time on the saddle of the Barni team’s Panigale V4R, but at the end of Friday’s free practice he was unable to go beyond the 14th time in the combined standings, 1.2 behind seconds from the leader of the day Alvaro Bautista.
If the reigning champion’s Ducati seems not to have been affected by the new regulations that limit engine revs, in other cases discontent is perceived. 250 rpm less are considered an injustice for Petrucci, who is already struggling astride the four-cylinder to be able to get close to the front group: “Honestly, I think it’s not right, because mainly it’s Alvaro who makes the difference with this bike. I don’t think it’s right for the others to lose power, because we are not in a position to dominate the championship. In fact, I struggle a bit, I’m not 100% happy with what I’m doing. I want more, but it’s also not fair to find out about this on race Thursday. We had some data from the tests, Barcelona is always difficult with grip, but we have to talk at least to understand what the rules of this algorithm are and which points of it matter the most, but mainly I think it’s not right to take 250 rpm away from all the riders Ducati”.
Precisely in Barcelona, Petrucci and the Barni team had carried out some tests, however the situation does not seem to have improved since then: “I’m just getting used to this and maybe for tomorrow we’ll try the lower saddle again to try to have a little more of relaxation under braking. At the moment I can’t brake hard and I can’t open the gas. For this reason, the gap between new and used tires is three tenths. This is a big problem both for qualifying and for the Superpole Race, but also for the first five or six laps of the long race”.
However, today’s main topic of discussion is MotoGP. Yes, because Petrucci will be back on the bike next weekend, and he will do so right on the Desmosedici. The Terni player will in fact be called to replace Enea Bastianini, who is still knocked out after the shoulder injury: “For me it is a great pride and a great honour. Last time I rode a Ducati at Le Mans I won a race. First of all, I’d like to see Enea recover as soon as possible, because he’s great and deserves to fight for the win. Then I think it’s a great honor for my career in Ducati, in the end I’ve always had a great relationship with the whole team. That’s why last year I raced with the Suzuki and this year with the Ducati. At least in Ducati they know my body position, the bike is the same in terms of ergonomics. Le Mans is a track that I like, I just want to have fun and it doesn’t happen very often to test a MotoGP world champion. I’m very sorry to miss next week’s tests at Misano, but this could be my last MotoGP race, so I couldn’t say no to this offer.”
Danilo Petrucci, Barni Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“As I said last year for the wild card with Suzuki, this year with Ducati is an honor, we started working together in 2011, I was a tester for the Panigale V2 and I’ve always worked with them ever since. For me, this is an award for what I have done in MotoGP and in Ducati ”, continues Danilo, recalling what he has achieved in his years in Ducati. The Barni team rider then explains how the idea of competing in a MotoGP race came about: “Thursday evening Ciabatti asked me if I was available, I think because Pirro wants to race at Mugello for the CIV and they don’t have any other riders who have tried the MotoGP. My last time with a Ducati MotoGP was in 2020, with a motogp it was last year. I gave availability, this morning they fixed everything and I’ll try. I know where all the buttons are, they also have a lot of data from the past, but it’s just simple things, because already having the driving position is a great thing because it saves time. The engine configuration is a V4, I’ve always driven a four cylinder. Last year with Suzuki I had no idea and for my part I remember the first braking area well, I braked, looked one way and the bike went the other. It was difficult to adapt, the race was also a nightmare, we had no data on the wet and they just told me to try and finish the race. This year I have no expectations, I just want to have fun, but I enjoy it when I go fast, so I’d like to be fast”.
However, in order to contest the French Grand Prix, Petrucci will be forced to skip two days of Superbike tests scheduled for Thursday and Friday at Misano. However, Marco Barnabò, Barni team principal, offered the green light to his driver: “I’m sorry for him because we’re missing a day of testing, maybe we can recover the following week, but we’ll see. Marco is always very nice to me, even when the opportunity came to do the 24 Hours of Le Mans he didn’t give me any problems. He told me that if a rider is happy, he’s faster. So if I was happy, he was happy too. He just told me not to have high expectations and don’t lose your temper if the results don’t come. But I will be there not for the result”.
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