Despite not having competed in rally-raid previously, Petrucci has kept pace with the frontrunners.
He recorded the third fastest time in stage four, but was penalised for speeding, and had shown the potential for a strong overall finish before a fuel pump issue on stage two ended his hopes.
Petrucci discovered that he had lost his mobile phone, and could not call his team to instruct him on repairs, forcing him to request assistance from the organisers, earning him an 11-hour penalty.
“MotoGP and the Dakar are the opposites of the motorcycling world,” he said before the event. “In MotoGP we spend a lot of time looking at the computer. In rallies you don’t have any computers, you just stay on the bike and you have to solve the problems yourself, with your talent, your capabilities and your body. It’s a big challenge and it’s very exciting. My target for this time is just to try and finish the race.”