Fenati: I made a disgraceful gesture, I was not a man

Romano Fenati has issued an apology via his official website after his careless actions in Sunday’s Moto2 race at Misano has had serious consequences for his immediate career in grand prix racing.

The 22-year old Italian described the move to grab Stefano Manzi’s front brake at racing speeds as “disgraceful,” stating “I was not a man” in that moment of the race when his self-confessed “impulsive character” came to the fore.

As well as apologising and accepting the subsequent criticism of his behaviour, the statement attempts to defend his behaviour on track. “I was one of the few who did receive any penalties” for careless riding in the Moto3 class through 2017, he says.

“I apologise to the whole sporting world,” reads the official statement. “This morning, with a clear mind, I wish it had been just a bad dream. I think back to those moments, I made a disgraceful gesture, I was not a man!

“A man would finish the race and then go into Race Direction to try and get justice for the previous episodes. I should not have reacted to provocations. The criticisms are correct and I understand the resentment towards me.

“I want to apologise to everyone who believed in me and all those who felt hurt by my actions. An image of me and of the sport has come out, [and] everything [looks] horrible. I’m not like that as those who know me well knows!

“In my career, I’ve always been a good rider. Last year I was one of the few who did not receive any penalties, I never put someone else’s life in jeopardy; on the contrary, I have always maintained that there are dangerous riders on track, with a dangerous riding style.

“It’s true, unfortunately, that I have an impulsive character, but my intention was certainly not to hurt a rider like me, but I wanted to make him understand that what he was doing was dangerous and that I could have made some mistakes as well as he had just made them to me!

“I do not want to justify myself, I know that my gesture is not justifiable. I just want to apologise to everyone. Now I will have time to reflect and clear my ideas.”

The fallout from his actions on Sunday has been severe. Race direction immediately showed him a black flag for his actions, disqualifying him from the race. He was then hit with a further two-race ban.

It didn’t end there: Fenati’s Marinelli Snipers Team confirmed that it would be cancelling his current contract on Monday morning, while his deal to join Forward Racing MV Agusta in 2019 appears to be over, too.