Italtrans, a leader in mass distribution in road transport, and Promethean Tire Group, a manufacturer of tires for trucks, buses and agricultural machinery, have announced the renewal of their partnership in view of Dakar 2025. In a separate agreement, Promethean will bring “Petrux” to compete in Dakar again, this time on a truck instead of a motorcycle. , driving alternately with Claudio Bellina, leader Driver 17th Dakar, and sailor Marco Arnoletti with the Italtrans Racing Team – Rally Division with truck number 608.
The Belina family continues its 16-year commitment to the Dakar adventure with enthusiasm. With the results obtained in the last edition, he confirmed that he participated strongly in the competition and finished 7th overall, five places away from the first place.
Danilo Petrucci is an important presence: born in Terni in 1990, Petrucci is considered the “man of the four worlds”: he is indeed the only rider who has won at least one race in MotoGP, MotoAmerica, Superbike and Dakar. In the year This will be his second attempt at the world’s most famous rally, after his impressive stage win on a motorcycle in 2022.
The transition from two to four wheels represents an unprecedented challenge for “Petrux”, which relies on the experience and technological innovation of the Italtrans vehicles, Belina and his team, as well as the reliable performance of Promethean tires, especially designed for heavy vehicles in off-road competitions.
There is a common thread connecting Petrucci to the world of four wheels, his father was actually a truck driver and also a truck driver for MotoGP. Thanks to Prometheus, Petrucci will drive a support car in one of the toughest races in motorsport to renew the partnership between the two companies.
“I’m very happy to join the Italtrans team and I can’t wait to ride with Claudio Bellina,” said Danilo Petrucci. “I would also like to thank Prometeon for making this a special opportunity. Dakar is an amazing challenge and I am looking forward to it for the second time. I will have a lot to learn and I will use everything to help me achieve a good result. I will give.
Claudio Bellina said: “After the emotions of 2024, we are preparing to experience 2025. Last year was a pretty good edition, because it was done with a different truck than previous years. Dakar is a tough challenge, it’s not a walk in the park, but we had fun and at the same time we brought home a good result, we reached the top five. In the next edition, Marco Arnoletti will still be with me with his great skills, and the new entry, Danilo Petrucci, will add value to our team with his experience as a driver. We focus our eyes and give everything to have fun and bring home a good result. I would like to thank all the sponsors first and foremost Prometheus and Bosch for their support in this great adventure.
“We are thrilled to bring Danilo Petrucci on board for this new adventure,” said Roberto Riggi, CEO of Prometheus. “Together with Claudio Bellina and Marco Arnoletti, an extraordinary team that combines passion, talent and competence, they form a unique team capable of facing such a tough challenge as Dakar. To achieve excellence in this race, high levels of performance, team spirit and technological innovation are essential: which Prometheus shares and fully embraces.” Supporting values.
Arnoletti: “This will be my eighth Dakar, the second with the Italtrans Racing Team. Last year was an amazing experience, because with Claudio’s team I found everything a fan wants: a professional team, great people, a very competitive vehicle, but above all, a real family with whom I share a great love for rallies. Claudio is a special driver, he makes the difference, and Danilo will be with us this year: he is a special driver who has won every championship he has competed in. It is a great honor for me to be part of this team. I can’t wait to go on this new great adventure.
The collaboration between Italtrans and Prometeon aims to increase the resistance of the Prometeon tires, designed to withstand the extreme conditions presented by the Dakar. After the excellent performance of the last version that saw Prometeon Serie 02 tires for the first time on Iveco Italtrans trucks, Petrucci and Bellina represent a further step to test the mix of experience in the competition for more reliability and already high performance. Both tires and trucks on rough terrain like Dakar.
The next date with the Dakar Rally is on January 3, 2025 in Bisha, Saudi Arabia for the 47th edition of the world’s toughest race.
