As runner-up in the 1999 250cc Motocross world championship, KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer knows a fast off-road rider when he sees one.
“He did an incredible job,” Beirer said. “When he announced it people thought this is some kind of marketing gimmick, I think nobody understood what the plan was behind it.
To try and reduce the pressure on Petrucci’s shoulders, as a rookie in such a risky event, Beirer revealed he switched the usual bonus payment for an incentive to reach the finish.
Despite the Dakar success, Petrucci’s next challenge is a (to be confirmed) move to the MotoAmerica series with Ducati, a deal that was rumoured even before the Italian began his Saudi Arabian adventure.
“They asked me before if we could offer something straight away, or what is the future in KTM, and at that moment we could not offer him something racing for us on asphalt and I think another door has now opened and he’s taken that challenge,” Beirer confirmed.
“When he made the [MotoAmerica] plans no one saw in him ‘Dakar stage winner’. But I think he also had to see how hard the Dakar is, how dangerous, so I’m also not so sure if he really wants to start a [full time] Rally career.
“But he knows where we are and I’m sure he’ll be giving us a call. We want to sit down when everything is a bit more calm and clear, because I don’t know how clear his future is for this summer.
“But we’ll have a meeting, look back at the Dakar and he will stay a friend of ours that’s clear.”
