MotoGP could see an unexpected return at Misano. Danilo Petrucci is in talks as a replacement rider for Joan Mir at Suzuki.
Joan Mir will miss the Grand Prix of San Marino. This was announced by the Suzuki MotoGP team on Tuesday evening. Contractually, the Japanese manufacturer would be obliged to replace Mir in Misano. A motorcycle may only remain unoccupied within the first ten days of a rider’s injury. Make online in-play betting in Senegal, and make the love of racing profitable for yourself.
In the official press release, however, Suzuki did not name a replacement rider and explained that in the coming days they would work out the best possible solution for Misano together with Dorna. The reason: with Sylvain Guintoli, the appointed test and substitute rider is also injured. “I’m recovering from injuries sustained at the Suzuka 8 Hours and unfortunately I can’t step in,” the Frenchman wrote on Twitter.
As Suzuki’s second development rider, Takuya Tsuda would be the next candidate in the MotoGP succession. However, deployment of the 38-year-old Japanese would probably make little sense. He has so far ridden one race in the premier class when he replaced the injured Alex Rins in Jerez in 2017. Tsuda lost almost one and a half minutes to the winning time then. In his last public appearance during winter testing at Sepang, he was 7.5 seconds off the top. In its endurance project, Suzuki has signed Xavier Simeon, a man with MotoGP experience. The Belgian rode the entire 2018 season for Avintia Ducati, but only scored a single point.
Petrucci is considered a real jack-of-all-trades in motorcycle racing. He rode his last MotoGP race to date in the last ten months, followed by the Dakar Rally, and has now been contesting his debut season in the U.S. Superbike Championship MotoAmerica since April. There is no doubt about Petrucci’s ability on a MotoGP bike: he took two victories and eight other podium finishes in the premier class. In addition, ‘Petrux’ is considered a crowd favorite. A start at his home race would undoubtedly boost sluggish ticket sales for the Misano weekend.
However, there are still hurdles to clear before Petrucci can make a comeback. Ducati, Petrucci’s employer in MotoAmerica, is said to be unenthusiastic about the idea. The Italians fear a distraction for their rider, who is currently just one point behind championship leader Jake Gagne in second place overall. The penultimate race weekend of MotoAmerica takes place the weekend after the Misano Grand Prix.
