A whole new level of road rage was brought to attention when Niccolò Canepa, the current World Superbike rider for team Althea Ducati reportedly hit the front brake lever of another rider in a local track day in Mugello, Italy two years ago. The rider suffered a broken collarbone and nearly involves another following rider.
The footage recorded by the track CCTV is circulating on the internet causing outrage among bike enthusiasts. In his defence, Canepa said he did not punch the other rider’s brake lever, but he only touched his forearm to get his attention. However, it is clear from the video that seconds before the incident took place, something is happening between Canepa and the rider.
The Italian authority is charging Canepa with assault and Canepa is due to appear in court in Florence on September 30. If the the court finds him guilty as charged, it is the least problem for Canepa. FIM will put a ban for Canepa and the team and manufacturer will definitely no longer wants to be associated with Canepa which means he couldn’t even get a job as a test rider.
The strangest fact is that a rider of his calibre acted in such manner in a local amateur trackday.
