Danilo Petrucci Out of the 2025 Dakar After Rolling his Truck

Danilo Petrucci crashed out of the 2025 Dakar Rally in the Truck category, as extensive damage was sustained when the Italian rolled his vehicle.

After making his debut in the main motorcycle class in 2022, where he would go on to win a stage, Petrucci decided to opt for the truck event with MM Technology as part of the Italtrans Team set-up, alongside Marco Arnoletti and team owner Claudio Bellina, however, his race ended just five days in.

Petrucci was designated as the mechanic of the #608 truck and was driving at the beginning of the stage when he hit a rock just 3km into the stage. The truck then rolled and suffered damage to its fuel pump which forced them out of the day.

“The post I never wanted to write,” Petrucci wrote on Instagram. “After not even 3km, I still don't know how, after a hole I hit a bush of camel grass with the right rear and the truck [rolled].

“Fortunately we are all okay. Now we have to do 300km [in the damaged truck], in 10 degrees [Celsius], to get back to the bivouac hoping that the roll cage is not damaged. Total bitterness.

“I apologize to Italtrans, to the navigator Marco Arnoletti and Claudio Bellina, patron of Italtrans who gave me this great opportunity. I am really, really sorry.”

While Petrucci, Arnoletti, and Bellina are not completely out of contention and have the potential to continue in the rally in today’s Stage 6, it would only occur in the unclassified ‘experience’ class and only if their roll cage has not been damaged in today’s incident.

Petrucci is the only former MotoGP or WorldSBK rider competing in the event, as was the case in 2022 when he went on to claim a stage victory for KTM, who he was ending his association with following a disappointing 2022 MotoGP campaign with the Tech3 team.

Things have gotten better for the former MotoGP winner since that season, though, as the Italian became a first-time superbike winner when he claimed a dominant hat-trick at Cremona last season. Petrucci will once again race in WorldSBK with Barni Ducati in 2025.

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