Danilo Petrucci was unloaded from KTM during the Styrian Grand Prix weekend. While Danilo was on the track for MotoGP qualifying, a press release was issued aimed at formalizing Fernandez’s commitment to Tech3 for 2022. without being informed beforehand by the management. Rather inconsiderate behavior of the Austrian company, which also betrayed the words of Pit Beirer, the brand’s motorsport director, among other things.
Beirer had made it clear several times that a decision would be made after the two Austrian races, but things turned out very differently and his statements to our colleagues from the Speedweek are confusing to be honest. According to reports, the managing director of the Austrian group Danilo would have offered a chance for off-road races in 2022to unleash a passion that the driver has never hidden, but which he may want to embrace later in his career.
“Danilo is an incredibly nice guy” Pierer explained. “That’s why we want to keep him. He got an offer from me on Saturday evening. He could compete for us at the Dakar 2022 in Saudi Arabia. At first he didn’t believe me! His bike would be branded with the Tech3 colors. Participation in the Dakar has always been his wish. He always said that to us. With a project like this, we have some marketing and sales opportunities in Italy with him. That would be a great marketing story. We won’t let Danilo go. We’re going to tell our off-road manager Robert Jonas that we need a fourth Dakar rider for our deal with Red Bull and Danilo could be the one. “
Stefan Pierer also made it clear that there is no chance of seeing Danilo with KTM as a tester, as Pedrosa and Kallio have been confirmed.
“We have confirmed Pedrosa and Kallio for 2022. Danilo is unlucky because with his height of 184 cm he is too big for today’s MotoGP. “
This statement can be interpreted in different ways. On the one hand, KTM seems to want to make an elegant gesture that expresses the desire to keep Petrucci in the “family”. On the other hand, however, this is nothing compared to the words of Beirer, who praised Danilo again and again, only to then brutally reject him. For Petrucci, the doors to MotoGP seem armored right now.
Aprilia has an agreement with Vinales, while Petronas has no room for “experts” after Valentino Rossi’s (almost catastrophic) break. The Yamaha team wants to promote young talent, so there is no room for a veteran like Danilo, who actually still has a lot to offer in MotoGP. Another direction would of course be that which would lead Danilo to the SBK, perhaps as a Ducati official. A return of the prodigal son in some ways, but currently heavily questioned after Redding’s win at Most, which drove up the British rider’s quotes. If Danilo’s will to join the SBK, he certainly wouldn’t have too much trouble finding a competitive bike.
If, on the other hand, he really says “enough is enough” with the track and devotes himself to off-roading, he knows that he could build an important partnership with KTM. As they sometimes mistakenly say: There are no problems, only opportunities.
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