WorldSBK Danilo Petrucci at a crossroads in 2027: “At worst, I have three restaurants”

It really is true that the time for making choices in life never ends. Danilo Petrucci is almost 36 and has been racing practically all his life. Now he is at a crossroads that is more a life choice than yet another step in his career. Should he stop or carry on? And if he does continue: where and with whom?

Petrux won in Superstock and then triumphed in MotoGP as an official Ducati rider, experiencing the unforgettable emotion of the Mugello crowd beneath the podium, celebrating a victory clawed from two giants like Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso. He went to the Dakar for fun—and won a stage there too. Not to mention MotoAmerica, where in 2022 he came close to winning the title, taking five victories. The icing on the cake: he also beat some top factory riders in the World Superbike Championship, with that spectacular hat-trick at Cremona.

"I knew going to BMW would be an all-in move, but I would do it again," Danilo repeats whenever he is asked the inevitable question: was it worth taking on the same M1000RR that only Toprak Razgatlioglu seemed able to make fly? The results simply have not come this year. At Portimao too, he finished Friday in sixteenth place, one second off the pace, but above all seven tenths behind teammate Miguel Oliveira, who in FP2 leapt in behind the Ducatis and looks set for a podium at his home track. Amid this disappointing season, there was also the serious crash at Most that kept him sidelined for a long time and could have had far more serious consequences. The other side of the coin is his salary: Petrucci earned six hundred thousand euros, just under Nicolò Bulega's and four times Iker Lecuona's annual salary. So, from that point of view, there is little to complain about.

For 2027, Danilo Petrucci would have the door wide open to return to MotoAmerica with the BMW of a satellite team, perhaps still under a direct contract with the manufacturer. "They are treating me like a king," says the rider from Terni, also referring to the welcome the same team gave him during his visit to the paddock at the Austin round in Texas. But MotoAmerica is not all roses. The races take place on tracks far removed from European standards, so the risk is high, and Danilo already suffered a couple of frightening crashes there in 2022. It also means spending long periods away from home and enduring constant transatlantic travel. It is hardly a walk in the park, but rather a demanding commitment. The alternative could be Go Eleven's second Ducati, although Alex Delbianco is their first option.

He does not say so openly, but Danilo Petrucci is thinking that perhaps he has already seen enough of motorcycles, circuits, teams and rivals. At 36, and especially after the accidents he has survived, deciding to call it a day could be the bravest choice. Perhaps also the wisest. On Friday at Portimao, he shared a thought with his colleague Ivo Schutzbach of Speedweek. "I have many interests outside racing: I would like to get my pilot's license and a boating license. I also own three restaurants."

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