LONDON (Reuters) – Italian rider Romano Fenati was dumped by his Moto2 team on Monday, and was also set to lose a 2019 MV Agusta deal, after he grabbed a rival’s brake lever while racing in Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix.
Motorcycling – MotoGP – TT Assen Grand Prix – Moto2 – TT Assen Circuit, Assen, Netherlands – July 1, 2018 Marinelli Snipers Team’s Romano Fenati crashes during the Moto2 race REUTERS/Yves Herman
The Marinelli Snipers team announced they had terminated the 22-year-old’s contract on account of “his unsporting, dangerous and damaging conduct for the image of all.”
“With extreme regret, we have to note that his irresponsible act endangered the life of another rider and can’t be apologized for in any way,” the team added.
The boss of Italian bike maker MV Agusta also vowed to scrap a contract for 2019.
Fenati was disqualified on the spot and barred from the next two races after the incident at Misano on Italy’s Adriatic coast that made waves around the world.
“This has been the worse and saddest thing I ever seen in a bike race. True sportsmen would never act this way,” MV Agusta president Giovanni Castiglioni told his 565,000 followers on Instagram.
“If I would be (MotoGP promoters) Dorna I would ban him from world racing.
“Regarding his contract for a future position as rider of MV Agusta Moto2, I will oppose myself in every way to stop it. It won’t happen, he doesn’t represent our company true values,” added Castiglioni.
Fenati, who also caused headlines in 2015 when he was penalized for kicking out at Finnish rider Niklas Ajo in a Moto3 warm-up in Argentina, had been due to join MV Agusta’s new Moto2 project next season.
Moto2, previously the 250cc category, is a feeder series one rung below the main MotoGP class.
The MV Agusta project is in partnership with Forward Racing, whose rider Stefano Manzi was on the receiving end of Fenati’s actions.
British rider Cal Crutchlow, who finished third in Sunday’s MotoGP race, told reporters Fenati should have been banned for life.
“He should never compete on a motorcycle again,” said the LCR Honda rider. “He should have walked back to the garage and his team should have just kicked him straight out the back.
“You can’t do this to another motorcycle racer. We are risking our lives enough.”
Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge