Motorsport is a dangerous as it is, and it's just unreasonably outlandish when a rider or driver chooses to put a rival in the harms with intent. Unfortunately, that's what happened last weekend during the MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix when Moto2 rider Romano Fenati grabbed the brake lever of rival rider Stefano Manzi while doing speeds in excess of 200 kmph. The incident not only sparked outrage from the other teams and riders, but garnered a lot of flak from fans of the sport world over. MotoGP promoters Dorna imposed a two-race ban on Fenati, but the Forward Racing Team already sacked him from the job, and now MV Agusta has now decided to terminate his contract for 2019.
Fenati who was to race for the factory team which announced its comeback to the championship next year. MV Agusta's President - Giovanni Castiglioni took to social media to explain that after the incident he did not want Fenati representing the brand next season.
In a statement, Giovanni Castiglioni said, "In all my years of watching sport, I have never seen behaviour as dangerous as this. A rider who can act like this can never represent the values of our company, and our brand. For this reason, we do not want him to be the rider with which MV Agusta makes its return to the world championship."
FIM MotoGP Stewards
Black flag Romano Fenati for irresponsible riding #Moto2 #SanMarinoGP pic.twitter.com/sTqv6nhZer— MotoGP (@MotoGP) September 9, 2018Advertisement
Team owner, Giovanni Cuzari added, "After the disgraceful episode between Romano Fenati and Stefano Manzi, it is impossible for the team to maintain its planned collaboration with the rider from Ascoli for the 2019 season. Fenati's behaviour is incompatible with the sporting values of the Forward Racing Team and of MV Agusta. For this reason, though we bitterly regret it, we are forced to cancel our project with Fenati. Our sport is already extremely dangerous, and any act which increases the risks involved for the riders is intolerable. We cannot accept behaviour of this type from one of our future riders."
Fenati's actions were in retaliation to Manzi running him off track during a messy overtake previously in the race. The racer did apologise after the incident but the damage was too huge to be pardoned. This incident isn't the rider's first one.
The racer previously grabbed headlines in 2015 when he kicked rider Niklas Ajo during the Argentina GP's warm lap, and later switched off his competitor's bike on the grid in the same race. He was also kicked out Valentino Rossi's Sky Racing VR46 Moto3 team for "behavioural issues."
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