Romano Fenati

Romano Fenati (born 15 January 1996) is an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer competing in the 2023 Moto3 World Championship. He raced for the early part of the 2022 season in Moto2, before being sacked by principal Luca Boscoscuro. In September 2022, Fenati signed with Snipers Team to race for the team in the 2023 Moto3 World Championship.[1]

Romano Fenati
Fenati at the 2014 Spanish Grand Prix
NationalityItalian
Born (1996-01-15) 15 January 1996
Ascoli Piceno, Italy
Current teamRivacold Snipers Team
Bike number55
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Moto2 World Championship
Active years2018, 2022
ManufacturersKalex (2018)
Boscoscuro (2022)
Championships0
2022 championship position27th (7 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
18 0 0 0 0 21
Moto3 World Championship
Active years2012–2017, 2019–2021,2023-
ManufacturersFTR Honda (2012–2013)
KTM (2014–2016)
Honda (2017, 2019), (2023-)
Husqvarna (2020–2021)
Championships0
2021 championship position5th (160 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
158 13 29 7 14 1245

Fenati's career was marred with controversy. On 12 September 2018 he announced his retirement from motorcycle competition after being sacked two days earlier by his team Marinelli Snipers for dangerous riding.[2] In addition to an earlier two-race ban imposed, Fenati's racing licence was later revoked for the remainder of the 2018 season.[3] On 13 November 2018, it was announced that Fenati would return to race in the 2019 Moto3 class.[4] He was included on the provisional 2019 Moto3 entry list released on 16 November 2018, again with the Marinelli Snipers team.[5]

In spite of never winning a Moto3 world championship, Fenati currently holds the most wins in the class with over 13 victories out of 29 podiums.

He was European 125 cc Champion in 2011,[6] championship runner-up of the Italian 125GP series, and also competed in the Spanish 125GP series.

Career

Born in Ascoli Piceno, Italy, Fenati is featured in the 2016 documentary film Il Mago Mancini ("Mancini, the Motorcycle Wizard").[7]

Team Italia FMI (2012)
Fenati at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix

For the 2012 Moto3 season, Fenati signed with Team Italia FMI riding an FTR Honda. At Round 1 in Qatar, he finished 2nd in his debut race. He then went on to claim his first victory at the second race of the season in Jerez, Spain. In doing so, Fenati became the first rider since Noboru Ueda in 1991 to take two podiums in his first two Grand Prix starts and the youngest ever driver in Grand Prix motorcycle racing history to lead the World Championship. He finished at 6th position for championship.[8]

San Carlo Team Italia (2013)

The 2013 season was disappointing for Fenati as he did not record any podium finishes, with his best position being 5th. He finished 10th in the final championship standings, with 73 points.

Sky Racing Team VR46 (2014–2016)

For the 2014 Moto3 season, Fenati signed with Valentino Rossi's Sky Racing Team by VR46. It was an up and down season for Fenati, as he scored four podiums in the first six races and ultimately recorded four wins during the season. However, inconsistent results ultimately left him in 5th position in the championship with 176 points.

The 2015 season was also an under-performance for Fenati. Though he maintained some consistency finishing in the top five in eight races, including a victory at Le Mans. Poor qualifying positions for Fenati resulted in the loss of vital points, and he finished the season with 176 points as he did in 2014 but placed one position higher in the standings.

Fenati started the 2016 season with a pole position at Qatar. However, he only managed 4th in the race. He finished in 20th in Argentina, before his first win of the season in the United States. He was seventh at Jerez, before a second-place finish at Le Mans, losing out to Brad Binder by 0.099 seconds. Fenati qualified on pole at Mugello, but failed to finish the race. He was fourth in both Catalunya and Netherlands, before a pointless 18 position in Germany. Fenati was dropped by Sky Racing VR46 in Austria as a disciplinary action for disagreeing with Uccio Salucci. On 16 August the VR46 team terminated their contract with Romano for the 2016 and 2017 seasons stating behavioural issues in conflict with team policy as the reason behind the split.

Marinelli Rivacold Snipers (2017)

In 2017, Fenati joined Marinelli Rivacold Snipers team and had his best season to date: three wins and five second places to finish as runner-up in the Moto3 championship.

Marinelli Snipers Moto2 (2018)

On 9 September 2018, at the 2018 San Marino Grand Prix, Fenati was immediately disqualified after grabbing the front brake lever of rival rider Stefano Manzi,[9] which resulted in a two-race ban. His Marinelli Snipers team then terminated their contract with Fenati following the incident.[10] In November 2018 it was announced that he would return for the 2019 season in the Moto3 class.[11][5]

VNE Snipers (2019)

He competed for this team at 2019 season.

Sterilgarda Max Racing Team (2020–2021)

Since 2017, specifically at Silverstone, which did not occupy the first position on the grid. In the Austrian GP he starts again in the first position of the grid.[12]

Rivacold Snipers Team (from 2023)

For the 2023 season, Fenati will competed in Moto3 with Rivacold Snipers Team.

Speed Up Racing (2022)

Fenati joined Speed Up Racing to compete in Moto2 for the 2022 season. After the first few races, in May 2022, Fenati was sacked from the team because of poor results.[13][14][15]

Controversies

Fenati has interfered with other riders a number of times. In the 2015 Argentine Grand Prix, he kicked Niklas Ajo during the warm-up and also turned Ajo's engine off during the practice start. As a consequence he was forced to start the race at the back of the field.[16] The following year he was sacked from the VR46 Team for undisclosed disciplinary reasons.[17]

In September 2018, Fenati pulled Stefano Manzi's front brake lever during a race when both were travelling at more than 200 km/h (120 mph). He apologized but was dropped from the Marinelli Snipers Team for the offence.[18][19] His future contract to ride for Forward Racing using MV Agusta machines in 2019 was cancelled on 11 September.[20] On 12 September, he announced his immediate retirement from motorcycle competition and criticised Manzi for escaping criticism for his part in the controversy.[21] It was later reported that Fenati could be investigated for attempted murder: Italian consumer-rights group Codacons announced that it had reported Fenati to local prosecutors, asking authorities to investigate "any relevant criminal offences, including that of attempted murder",[22] but authorities later determined that a charge of "private violence", similar to a road rage incident, was more appropriate.[23]

On 21 September, in addition to a preliminary two-race ban imposed earlier, after meeting with the FIM at their headquarters in Mies, Switzerland, on 18 September, it was announced that Fenati's racing licence was revoked for the remainder of the 2018 season.[3] He made a comeback to Moto3 for the 2019 season.

Career statistics

By season
Season Class Motorcycle Team Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd
2012 Moto3 FTR Honda Team Italia FMI 17 1 4 0 2 136 6th
2013 Moto3 FTR Honda San Carlo Team Italia 17 0 0 0 0 73 10th
2014 Moto3 KTM Sky Racing Team by VR46 18 4 6 0 3 176 5th
2015 Moto3 KTM Sky Racing Team VR46 18 1 3 1 1 176 4th
2016 Moto3 KTM Sky Racing Team VR46 9 1 2 2 2 93 10th
2017 Moto3 Honda Marinelli Rivacold Snipers 18 3 8 1 2 248 2nd
2018 Moto2 Kalex Marinelli Snipers Moto2 12 0 0 0 0 14 21st
2019 Moto3 Honda VNE Snipers 16 1 1 0 2 76 16th
2020 Moto3 Husqvarna Sterilgarda Max Racing Team 15 1 1 0 1 77 14th
2021 Moto3 Husqvarna Sterilgarda Max Racing Team 18 1 4 3 1 160 5th
2022 Moto2 Boscoscuro Speed Up Racing 6 0 0 0 0 7 27th
2023 Moto3 Honda Rivacold Snipers Team 12 0 0 0 0 30* 18th*
Total 176 13 29 7 14 1266

By class
Class Seasons 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp
Moto3 2012–2017, 2019–2021 2012 Qatar 2012 Qatar 2012 Spain 158 13 29 7 14 1245 0
Moto2 2018, 2022 2018 Qatar 18 0 0 0 0 21 0
Total 2012–present 176 13 29 7 14 1266 0

Races by year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pos Pts
2012 Moto3 FTR Honda QAT
2		 SPA
1		 POR
Ret		 FRA
Ret		 CAT
9		 GBR
7		 NED
12		 GER
24		 ITA
2		 IND
5		 CZE
8		 RSM
3		 ARA
Ret		 JPN
10		 MAL
20		 AUS
6		 VAL
18		 6th 136
2013 Moto3 FTR Honda QAT
15		 AME
Ret		 SPA
9		 FRA
7		 ITA
Ret		 CAT
15		 NED
14		 GER
13		 IND
9		 CZE
18		 GBR
12		 RSM
10		 ARA
8		 MAL
9		 AUS
14		 JPN
5		 VAL
11		 10th 73
2014 Moto3 KTM QAT
12		 AME
2		 ARG
1		 SPA
1		 FRA
Ret		 ITA
1		 CAT
5		 NED
18		 GER
Ret		 IND
2		 CZE
11		 GBR
16		 RSM
11		 ARA
1		 JPN
7		 AUS
Ret		 MAL
Ret		 VAL
14		 5th 176
2015 Moto3 KTM QAT
Ret		 AME
8		 ARG
8		 SPA
6		 FRA
1		 ITA
3		 CAT
8		 NED
5		 GER
4		 IND
4		 CZE
6		 GBR
12		 RSM
4		 ARA
3		 JPN
28		 AUS
6		 MAL
5		 VAL
Ret		 4th 176
2016 Moto3 KTM QAT
4		 ARG
20		 AME
1		 SPA
7		 FRA
2		 ITA
Ret		 CAT
4		 NED
4		 GER
18		 AUT
DNS		 CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL 10th 93
2017 Moto3 Honda QAT
5		 ARG
7		 AME
1		 SPA
2		 FRA
Ret		 ITA
13		 CAT
2		 NED
2		 GER
2		 CZE
2		 AUT
13		 GBR
7		 RSM
1		 ARA
10		 JPN
1		 AUS
6		 MAL
7		 VAL
4		 2nd 248
2018 Moto2 Kalex QAT
24		 ARG
19		 AME
16		 SPA
Ret		 FRA
7		 ITA
Ret		 CAT
Ret		 NED
Ret		 GER
16		 CZE
Ret		 AUT
11		 GBR
C		 RSM
DSQ		 ARA THA JPN AUS MAL VAL 21st 14
2019 Moto3 Honda QAT
9		 ARG
16		 AME
Ret		 SPA
Ret		 FRA
Ret		 ITA
Ret		 CAT
7		 NED
11		 GER
4		 CZE
8		 AUT
1		 GBR
Ret		 RSM
DNS		 ARA THA JPN
Ret		 AUS
12		 MAL
11		 VAL
17		 16th 76
2020 Moto3 Husqvarna QAT
17		 SPA
13		 ANC
12		 CZE
9		 AUT
17		 STY
17		 RSM
8		 EMI
1		 CAT
6		 FRA
Ret		 ARA
4		 TER
19		 EUR
13		 VAL
12		 POR
20		 14th 77
2021 Moto3 Husqvarna QAT
11		 DOH
10		 POR
7		 SPA
2		 FRA
10		 ITA
6		 CAT
11		 GER
13		 NED
3		 STY
3		 AUT
5		 GBR
1		 ARA
14		 RSM
Ret		 AME
12		 EMI
7		 ALR
7		 VAL
12		 5th 160
2022 Moto2 Boscoscuro QAT
15		 INA
19		 ARG
18		 AME
15		 POR
11		 SPA
Ret		 FRA ITA CAT
 GER
 NED
 GBR
 AUT
 RSM
 ARA
 JPN
 THA
 AUS
 MAL
 VAL
 27th 7
2023 Moto3 Honda POR
19		 ARG
13		 AME
16		 SPA
11		 FRA
19		 ITA
17		 GER
18		 NED
8		 GBR
10		 AUT
17		 CAT
14		 RSM
10		 IND
DNS		 JPN INA
 AUS
 THA
 MAL
 QAT
 VAL
 18th* 30*

* Season still in progress.

References
  1. McLaren, Peter (25 September 2022). "Romano Fenati signs with Snipers for Moto3 in 2023". crash.net. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  2. "Romano Fenati retires from motorcycling after being sacked for pulling brake of Moto2 rival Stefano Manzi". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  3. Fenati's FIM licence withdrawn for remainder of 2018 motorsport.com, 21 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018
  4. "Fenati set to make Grand Prix return in 2019". motogp.com. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  5. "2019 provisional entry lists revealed". motogp.com. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  6. "European Championship 125cc Albacete: trionfo italiano, Romano Fenati è campione europeo" (in Italian). Corsedimoto. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  7. "Il Mago Mancini (2016), di Jeffrey Zani" (in Italian). CinemaItaliano.info. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  8. Lewis, Lisa (29 April 2012). "Fantastic Fenati romps to first win". Crash.net. Crash Media Group. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  9. "Watch: Moto2 rider disqualified for grabbing rival's brake lever". Independent.co.uk. 10 September 2018.
  10. sport, Guardian (10 September 2018). "Romano Fenati sacked by team after pulling rival's brake lever at high speed". the Guardian.
  11. Romano Fenati: Rider banned for pulling Stefano Manzi brake lever to return BBC Sport, Motorsport, 19 November 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018
  12. "MotoGP: Fenati returns to pole four years later". US. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  13. Moto2. Fenati's future hangs in the balance. Boscoscuro: "I'm not happy with him." www.gpone.com, 30 April 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022
  14. "Moto2, LATEST NEWS - SpeedUp team splits with Romano Fenati". GPOne. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  15. Moto2 sacking stokes MotoGP riders' contract 'anger' the-race.com, 15 May 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022
  16. "MotoGP racer kicks competitor while going around a corner, then shuts off his bike". USA Today. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  17. "Rossi confirms Romano Fenati has left the VR46 team". GPxtra. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  18. "Sacked Fenati apologises for grabbing rival rider's brake". Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  19. Church, Ben (10 September 2018). "Romano Fenati: Moto2 rider apologizes for grabbing rival's brake". CNN. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  20. "Fenati out of MV Agusta and Forward Racing Team project". MotoGP.com. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  21. "Romano Fenati retires after having his Moto2 contract cancelled over Stefano Manzi clash". Independent.co.uk. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  22. "Motorcycle Racer Fired From Team After Grabbing Competitor's Brake During Race". roadandtrack.com. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  23. "Banned Moto2 rider Romano Fenati ordered to court over brake pull incident". Autoweek. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
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