Danilo Petrucci’s Still Struggling To Find The “Will” To Race

Wait, didn’t he just win his debut MotoAmerica race last week?

By: Earl Davidson

Apr 16, 2022 at 12:23pm ET

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Even after winning his debut race of the MotoAmerica Superbike season, Danilo Petrucci’s still finding the “will” to race in circuits again following a storied career in MotoGP, having spent 10 years in the fabled racing series.

Petrucci had a dream of a weekend for his debut in MotoAmerica. He came up third in qualifying, netting the third pole, and eventually won against rivals like Jake Gagne and Matthew Scholtz, with the former being forced to retire due to technical difficulties.

Even before the race weekend, Petrucci was facing some doubt, especially since he was quite new to the MotoAmerica racing experience. Petrucci was excited, however, and the results speak for themselves, it appears that the Italian has what it takes to remain competitive in the world of road racing.

Even after his debut race win on the Circuit of the Americas, Petrucci still finds himself sapped of his will to race, especially after the falling out he experienced in MotoGP. The Italian stated that this year will “be a process” for him to see whether he’ll continue to race. However, Petrucci did state that he liked the atmosphere in MotoAmerica, citing that he “really like[s] this place.”

It’s not just MotoGP where the Italian experienced some shortcomings. Even with Tech3 KTM, Petrucci was slated to compete for the team in the Dakar Rally, but that arrangement eventually fell through and Petrucci found himself moving to the United States to race for Ducati in MotoAmerica.

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As of now, Petrucci is still grappling with the prospect of racing in the World Superbike (WSBK) Championship. The Italian is still considering a future in WSBK and this year could determine whether he will push through with his plans in the series.

The Italian previously had the chance to go to WSBK, but his final year in MotoGP still weighed heavily on him. Still, this year will be a “process,” in which Petrucci will find the will to stay, compete, and hopefully win.