Following the conflicts with Valentino Rossi, Marc Márquez is a very unpopular rider in Italy. And last September, fans at the MotoGP San Marino GP showed this in the worst way by fiercely booing the rider as he celebrated his podium victory. A reprehensible behavior, which Danilo Petrucci also lamented.
In an opinion he claims is not controversial, the rider told MOW Mag: ‘Those who follow Superbike are true motorcycle racing enthusiasts, probably for their whole lives. In production-based motorcycle racing, the vehicles with their riders are the protagonists, more than the personalities’.
When asked whether the boos Márquez faced at this year’s San Marino GP would have happened in WSBK, Petrucci denied it, replying:
– No. He wouldn’t have been booed. I told you: the Superbike audience is of a different kind, precisely because SBK is more niche, even though we are still talking about a World Championship and important numbers in any case. If Marc Márquez came to race in Superbike, maybe he would also receive some boos here, but I would say no.
«Petrux» regretted the fans’ behavior and revealed that he had even apologized to Márquez on another occasion: ‘The truth is that even one [boo] is too many. […]. The boos aimed at Marc Márquez, or anyone else, are unacceptable – something really bad. When I won at Mugello with Ducati, Marc was on the podium with me. I will tell you a behind-the-scenes story: if you watch the footage, there is a moment where I lean into his ear. Here, I apologized to him for what I felt. I felt ashamed, despite being drunk with joy at that moment. Yes, I apologized. […]. This only happens in Italy; elsewhere, riders are not booed. Never’.