Danilo Petrucci, who has accumulated 10 podium finishes and two wins in his 10 seasons on the MotoGP grid, will fulfil a lifetime dream with the transition into the next stage of his racing career, by switching from the asphalt to the dune for KTM in the Dakar Rally for 2022 in official KTM backed Tech3 KTM Factory Racing. The Italian who spent much of his MotoGP career at Ducati is a two-time MotoGP race winner.  Petrucci will compete in his final premier class event in Valencia this weekend.

Learning from some of the most successful racers in the sport, and experts from the KTM squad that has previously won an outstanding 18 successive Dakar victories, Danilo has begun his rally preparation as he embarks on the challenge of a switch from MotoGP to the Dakar.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s 2018 Dakar winner and recently crowned FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion Matthias Walkner, two-time Dakar champion Toby Price, and reigning Dakar champion Kevin Benavides will be on-hand in the KTM stable to help the MotoGP star make his transition to the sport.

Danilo has had a taste of desert conditions aboard his KTM 450 RALLY and the incredibly challenging navigation required for rally racing at a recent test under  KTM’s Rally Sport Manager, Jordi Viladoms – a former successful Dakar competitor. Following the MotoGP season, Danilo’s attention will be fully focused on furthering his riding and navigational education ahead of his first attempt at the 14-day and approximately 8,000-kilometer event, which begins on January 1st.

The 2022 edition of the competition will take place in the Middle East for the third year in a row and will allow Petrucci to be thrown into the depths of Dakar to learn and develop with an eye on the 2022 FIM competition and a potential future in the sport.

KTM Media