Danilo Petrucci was in tears even before starting his final MotoGP race at Valenc🙈ia on Sunday, the Italian overwhelmed by the reception he was given throughout pit lane.

"It was really, really nice. When I parked the bike on the grid I said to myself, 'now please don’t cry'. But then people started to come, everyone I've worked wi🔜th and all the people, all the friends in the paddock. I say hello to everyone.

"Then I went to the toilet as always, but then walking back all pit lane started making an applause. All the KTM team and ♌all the Ducati team. I had to say hello to everyone. I just had to cry.

"Fortunately, we were at the beginning of pit lane fro🌱nt. Otherwise, it was difficult to start the race. It was three minutes to go and they said, 'you need to hurry'! So I was alre﷽ady sweating, crying.

"I was really happy to see all this love. In Mugello, the first time on the podium, I cried. I cried again when I was first. Unfortunately, when I’𝔍m happy I cannot help it!

One of those to greet Petrucci before his fina♐l race was Valentino Rossi, preparing for his own farewell.

"He said to me, 'you are going to race like this!?' I was wearing the tie and hat. I said t🐻o Valentino I cannot stop crying!'

Taken out by other riders in the last two races, Petrucci initially 💙battled with the likes of 𒈔Maverick Vinales and Luca Marini before easing off and soaking up his last racing laps on a MotoGP bike.

"I tried from the first moment, but I wanted to finish after the last two races. In the first two laps everyone was so aggressive. I tried to stay there. Then my front tyre got really high pressure and it was not possible to brake hard," said Petrucci🧔💝.

"I said, 'don’t think about it. I have a KTM MotoGP bike all for me and a track. I 🀅want to enjoy these lasಌt kilometres on this bike'. It was a great pleasure to see all the people. I’m really happy."

The only rider on the current Mo🍷toGP 🗹grid not to have raced in any of the smaller grand prix categories, Petrucci reached the premier-class straight from Superstock, on a CRT entry, in 2012.

"When I started this adventure in 2012, I don’t know 🍷if I was lost. But for sure in the first race, I was last and I broke also the bike," Petrucci reflected. "Until 2014, for many races I was last in practice, last in qualifying and last in the race. I think 𓆉I was the only one still believing [in myself]. I never quit. One day the dream has come true."

Managing to score points with the underpowered Ioda a🦹nd then Aprilia CRT machines, Petrucci finally got his big break when he joined Pramac Ducati for his fourth MotoGP season.

🍰The first of ten podiums came in the wet at Silverstone and he was Pramac's most successful rider by the time he was picked to replace t🏅he departing Jorge Lorenzo at the factory Ducati team, alongside countryman Andrea Dovizioso, for 2019.

A dream last-lap home Mugell꧋o victory over D🐷ovizioso and Marc Marquez followed, before the podiums dried up in the second half of the season. Replaced by Miller before the Covid-delayed 2020 campaign even began, Petrucci added a second MotoGP victory in the rain at Le Mans before spending a tough final season with Tech3 KTM.

🌊"Maybe I’m one of the last 'normal people' that can make it [in MotoGP] without being a phenomenon, something ultra-natural," Petrucci said. "When I was young I was just a good rider. I was fast but there were people faster than me.

"But I never stopped believing I was the best. Two times in MotoGP I showe♔d I was the best in that circuit, on that day. It was a big relief. If there was just Mugello [2019] maybe it was a ‘one day hero’. But then I showed to myself in Le Mans [2020] I can stജill win races.

"I have no regrets. It’s easy to loo💜k back and say things could’ve gone better. For sure sometimes I made mistakes. In 2♒016 I was maybe able to win in Sachsenring in the rain. Then in Assen the same year I was leading and my bike broke.

"Maybe in 2019 [at the factor🧜y Ducati team] I was really fast but suffered a lot… the team, there was clearly a first and second rider. Even when I was fast, I was no🤪t always taken in consideration. I suffered a lot. I started to make mistakes and I lost third in the championship.

"But I always gave my best and I am really happ👍y with what I’ve done.

"MotoGP never saw a 🗹rider with my size and there won’t be again. I don’t think there wi🎶ll be (another rider) 1m 80cm and 83kg naked. I'm over 90kg on the bike. When you say this to the engineers, they just start to lose their hair! It was really a bet on me and we won."

'The guy is a legend'

Told of Petrucci labelling himself as a 'normal' rider, current factory Ducati stars Francesco Bagnaia💃 and Jack Miller swiftly disagreed:

"I’m don't agree with Danilo that he was the last without [supernatural] talent to win a race, because he was with tale🌄nt," said race winner Bagnaia.

Miller, a former team-mate of Petrucci at Pramac Ducati, added: 🅠"Danilo is one of these guys. He wants to sell himself short ev♏ery time.

"We all go through thi🎐s, you sa൩y the non-phenomenon word… A lot of people have come in [to grand prix] as a phenomenon and gone back down to planet earth and then [sometimes they] come back up.

"The phenomenon thing I don't think exists. Maybe Pedro Acosta🐷 or🌄 somebody like that, but they’re few and far between.

"Danilo had a talent. But not only a talent, he worked for it. If you see photos of him on the Ioda with a [big] face out here like a moon and then when he hopped on the Ducati what he🌜 did to his body [weight loss] to change it, to be competitive here, he worked for it.

"The guy is a legend."

Petrucci meanwhile named the Aus൩tralian - along ꧃with his fellow Italians - as those he will be cheeering for when he watches MotoGP as a fan from the sofa next season.

'Happiness for me is to go fast on a bike'

Fittingly, while Petrucci's entry into Mo𝓡toGP was unique, so is his exit route; swapping a🐟sphalt for dirt with the Dakar Rally.

"My ca💞reer has been quite unique," Petrucci admitted. "I was coming from Superstock. No one has ever picked a [Superstock] rider and let him race in MꦫotoGP. No one trusted me. But day after day I started to learn.

"I have been qu💙ite unique also the way I’m leaving. 𝓀Since last year I started to feel not so good, not really enjoying what I was doing. Because the pressure maybe. I spent so much effort, so much strength to be in MotoGP I was not enjoying.

"So I started to think, OK, 'what’s your deeꦰp instinct?' I answered, 'I just want to ride the bikes'. So I asked, 'which is the sport where you ride the bike the most?' It’s the Dakar.

"Since 15 years old I was racing motocross. I said maybe I can do it. Thanks to KTM, I will go training in the next months a lot. I’ll try to race the Dakar and finish the Dakar because it’s a dream of mine and then I need to un♛derstand if I can be happy.

"The happiness for me is to go fast on a bike. If not, I can just go with my bike around the mountains, around my track, or just to take a coffee. Unfortunately, I al𒁏ways want 🐟to see a time and fight the stopwatch. Maybe it’s my way. I need to understand if it’s true…"