98 / CYCLE WORLD
/ AT THE LIMIT /
“Then they went a little bit wide. I saw not a door
but just a window open.”
DANILO PETRUCCI
MOTOGPDanilo Petrucci’s first MotoGP win was
a storybook ending to a hard-fought,
three-way battle between his teammate
and mentor Andrea Dovizioso, and
Honda’s wonder boy, Marc Márquez. An
Italian, on a Ducati, at Mugello, taking
victory on the last lap, no less. But fairy-
tale endings must have beginnings—
sometimes difficult ones.
Petrucci came to the Italian Grand
Prix with the flu, conditions were hot,
and finding grip was difficult. Nothinghas come easy in his racing story:
injuries; difficult equipment; mechanical
failures. He’s gone on record saying he’s
thought of hanging it up, that he didn’t
belong in MotoGP. Still, the 28-year-old
from Terni battled for the lead lap after
lap. Then in Turn 1, leader Márquez
went wide, second-place Dovizioso
went underneath, and Petrucci saw his
chance. The door—or window, as he
said—was left open. He went through,
and got his happy ending. Q