Niccolò Canepa is in deep water with Italian officials for an incident that occurred at Mugello, back in 2013. Allegedly participating at a track day at the iconic Italian circuit, Canepa has been named as the rider that closed-circuit cameras picked up having an altercation with another rider, on track.
The camera footage shows quite clearly two riders gesticulating to each other while riding around the track between the Poggio Secco and the Materassi turns.
The footage then goes on to show that the rider, who is alleged to be Canepa, intentionally hits the other rider’s front brake, causing that rider’s bike to fall and nearly take out another non-involved rider in the process.
The crashed rider has been identified as Davide Cappato, who fractured his collarbone in the fall. Taking recourse with authorities in Florence, Cappato seems finally set to have his day in court with Canepa.
The video shows the actions quite clearly, so likely the case will center around identifying the attacking rider, and examining any potentially mitigating circumstances, since the video does not show the lead-up to the attack and crash.
If this is indeed Canepa in the video, it is hard to imagine how the evidence wouldn’t support some sort of punishment, though the Italian legal system can be less forthright than say the American legal system. So, time will tell on the judicial outcome.
Of course, Canepa likely has more to worry about than just the Florentine court, as the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and and Federazione Motociclistica Italiana (FMI) are likely to get involved, no matter what the court’s ruling may be.
Source: Motociclismo.it; Photo: © 2015 Jensen Beeler / Asphalt & Rubber – Creative Commons – Attribution 3.0
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