Superbike, Petrucci isn’t giving up: the new challenge for 2027 is taking shape

Petrucci in the USA to closely follow the OrangeCat team and try the Dunlop-shod M 1000 RR: his return to MotoAmerica could take shape.

Danilo Petrucci’s racing career is far from over. Even if he won’t continue in the Superbike World Championship, together with BMW he’s evaluating other possibilities for 2027. The most concrete one concerns a move to MotoAmerica, a championship he already knows thanks to his 2022 experience with the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC team. With the Panigale V4 R he fought for the title and finished the season as runner-up, behind Jake Gagne (Yamaha).

You could say the rider from Terni has unfinished business in MotoAmerica: winning the American Superbike title would be an exciting challenge, and he would take it on by riding for the OrangeCat Racing team, which currently has Sean Dylan Kelly leading the overall standings. BMW is keen to make a strong impression in the United States, and having Petrux aboard an M 1000 RR would lend even more prestige both to the brand and to the championship itself.

Last weekend Petrucci flew to Austin to closely follow the penultimate round of the 2026 MotoAmerica calendar and, at the Circuit of the Americas, he also had the chance to ride a BMW M 1000 RR from the OrangeCat Racing team.

Interviewed by Speedweek, the Italian rider spoke about his experience in Texas: "A huge thank-you to the entire OrangeCat team, who treated me like a king and allowed me to try the bike. The idea came from Sven Blusch and we organized everything at Magny-Cours. I then watched Sunday’s MotoAmerica race to get an idea of the team: they definitely operate at World Championship level. It’s a relatively new squad, but it has many experienced people from the U.S. scene and from all over the world."

Petrucci had the chance to see up close how the OrangeCat team works and was impressed, even after the test carried out at COTA: "They organized an exclusive track day and I had the opportunity to do a few laps with the bike. I wouldn’t call it a test, but I still gathered a lot of information, especially about the team’s working methods and also about the bike and the tires. The differences are significant, particularly with the Dunlops, but I quickly reached the pace of the others, even though I only did about thirty laps. So it was a really useful experience. Now we have to see if we can make something happen."

Nothing is set yet, but the feeling is that the current ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK rider will continue his career in MotoAmerica in 2027. With Kelly likely to be confirmed, given the great season he’s having, Petrucci should take the seat currently occupied by Jayson Uribe. Petrucci still has a strong desire to race, and returning to the USA is something that motivates him.

Unfortunately, the 2026 Superbike World Championship has been disappointing for him. He was initially enthusiastic about joining a factory team, but then faced more problems than he had imagined. Between winter tests ruined by bad weather, serious physical issues, and a difficult feeling to find with the M 1000 RR, it wasn’t the year he had hoped for. We haven’t seen the best version of Petrucci.