Danilo Petrucci Gets a MotoGP Factory Ride with Ducati

After the announcement that Jorge Lorenzo will race in Repsol Honda colors next season, as predicted the rest of the silly season puzzle pieces are falling into place.

First up it seems is Danilo Petrucci, who will move up into the factory Ducati Corse squad for the 2019 MotoGP season.

Ever since it was clear that Lorenzo would be leaving Ducati, only two names have really been considered as worthy replacements for the Spanish rider, one being Danilo Petrucci, and the other being Jack Miller.

With Petrucci leading Miller in the MotoGP Championship standings, and often fighting at the front of the pack, the choice for Ducati seems obvious in retrospect.

As for Miller, not all is lost, as the Australian is set to be riding a factory-backed GP19 next year, within the Pramac Racing squad.

A well-earned factory seat, today’s news is a big step for Petrucci, who has been knocking on the factory team’s door for quite some time now.

“It goes without saying that for me, being part of the factory team is a dream come true,” said Danilo Petrucci. “It’s a great honour to become an official rider for the Ducati Team, especially for someone like me who started in Ducati as a production motorcycle test rider.”

“First of all I would like to thank Paolo Campinoti and Francesco Guidotti, who gave me the chance four years ago to race on a Ducati for the Pramac Racing Team. Without them all this would not have been possible.”

“I also want to thank the managers of Ducati and Ducati Corse – Claudio Domenicali, Gigi Dall’Igna and Paolo Ciabatti – who appreciated me first as a person and then as a rider and I really can’t wait to start this new adventure in the factory team,” continued Petrucci.

“Now all I want to do is to finish the year in the top five in the standings and then start the new season with the Ducati Team.”