MotoGP French GP: Danilo Petrucci to Replace Injured Ducati Rider Enea Bastianini at Le Mans

Ducati rider Enea Bastianini will not be at this weekend's French Grand Prix at Le Mans. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider had taken part in free practice at Jerez last week after injuring his right shoulder at the end of March during the Sprint race in Portimao, but he was forced to retire on Saturday due to the pain and lack of strength he was experiencing while riding his Desmosedici GP.  After consulting with doctors and discussing the matter with his team, he has decided to rest up until the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello in early June. Ducati has opted to send Danilo Petrucci as Bagnaia's partner in France since Michele Pirro will be competing in the second round of the Italian Superbike Championship (CIV) at Mugello the same weekend as Le Mans. The rider from Terni, who raced for the official Ducati MotoGP squad in both 2019 and 2020, won his second MotoGP race in Le Mans.

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Who is Danilo Petrucci?

Danilo Petrucci, an Italian GP motorcycle racer with the Barni Spark Racing Team's Panigale V4R, is competing in this year's World Superbike Championship. With Ducati, where he spent most of his premier-class career, including two seasons with the works team, Petrucci won his first Grand Prix in 2019 at Mugello and his second at Le Mans the following year. After parting ways with Ducati in 2020, Petrucci switched to European rival KTM, but his performances were disappointing, and he was ultimately forced to step down from the MotoGP competition in 2021.

Aprilia Rider Miguel Oliveira Also Being Replaced 

RNF CryptoData Aprilia's Miguel Oliveira crashed with Fabio Quartararo during the Spanish Grand Prix, causing him to miss this weekend's MotoGP French Grand Prix. Oliveira will be replaced at Le Mans by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori. Oliveira missed the first MotoGP race of the season at Portimao when he was struck by Marc Marquez and suffered ligament damage in his hip.