Today on GPOne.com, Riccardo Gugliemetti added more fuel to the growing conflagration that Italian Danilo Petrucci will return to MotoAmerica for the 2023 Medallia Superbike Championship.
The Mandalika round of the Superbike World Championship is this weekend, and there are rumors in the paddock that the Barni Spark Racing Team has made an offer to Petrucci for him to race their Ducati Panigale V4 R in the 2023 Superbike World Championship.
With EICMA 2022, the motorcycle exhibition, happening this week in Milan, Italy, GPOne.com had an opportunity to talk with Ducati Corse Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti about Petrucci’s plans for 2023. Ciabatti feels that already having Alvaro Bautista, Alex Bassani, and Michael Ruben Rinaldi aboard Ducati Panigale V4 R machines in WorldSBK next year is more than enough, But, as Ciabatti said, “Not having Danilo in MotoAmerica would be a problem, as there is no other rider of his level.”
Ciabatti also said, “In a few days, we will have to define the issue. The choice is Danilo’s. For Ducati, it is important to have a rider like him in MotoAmerica. At Mandalika, we will evaluate what kind of technical support to make available to him. Except for surprises, the direction is for Danilo to stay in MotoAmerica.”
Things are heating up, so stay tuned for further developments.
