SBK: Go Eleven Door Closes on Danilo Petrucci, Leaving Him with Just One Option

For Danilo Petrucci, the Jerez round will almost certainly be his final dance in Superbike. Out of the factory BMW team, where he will be replaced by MotoGP rider Brad Binder, the 36-year-old from Terni has also lost out in the battle for a seat at Go Eleven.

Gianni Ramello’s team, which has retained Lorenzo Baldassarri, will field two Ducati Panigale V4 Rs for the first time, taking over the spot left vacant by Michael Galinski’s MGM team. Danilo Petrucci’s candidacy lost ground because the team from Piedmont considered the technical conditions requested by the former two-time MotoGP race winner unsustainable.

Go Eleven must now decide which direction to take. Alex Delbianco is the frontrunner, having just secured the Italian title with Yamaha DMR. At 30, the Rimini-born rider would find himself with a high-level technical package: a solid satellite team and a place in today’s Superbike field. That is, of course, setting aside the rule changes due to come into force in 2027, specifically aimed at slowing down the bike that has won every race this season, leaving its rivals with only scraps. The other option is Albert Arenas, the newly crowned Supersport champion. Although Yamaha is courting him to stay in the support class, he seems determined to move up to the premier class. After all, at 30, he cannot afford to wait any longer.

Last month, Danilo travelled to Austin, Texas, to meet the BMW satellite team OrangeCat, which also let him test the BMW M1000RR over 30 laps at a test track. BMW Motorrad’s intention was clearly to give Petrucci a “parting gift” by keeping him within its group of factory riders. But the American team had other ideas, opting instead for Sean Dylan Kelly, who is just 24 and lost the MotoAmerica Superbike title at the final round after leading the standings for much of the season.

Petrucci has recently attracted interest from Attack Performance, the Yamaha team that won the title at the last minute with Bobby Fong. It would make for an intriguing twist of fate: in 2022, during his American adventure with Ducati, Petrucci was beaten at the last by this very team, with Jake Gagne.

It would therefore be a more prestigious option than BMW OrangeCat. But for now, nothing has been finalised.

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