Superbikes | Demise of Dean Berta Viñales, Michel Fabrizio will not race

Superbike 2021 Jerez de la Frontera – With a long post published on his Facebook profile, Michel Fabrizio, current rider of the Team GAP Motozoo Racing by Puccetti Supersport category and former MotoGP and Superbike rider, announced that he will not take to the track in Jerez tomorrow.

The decision came after the death of Dean Berta Viñales (Maverick's cousin, ed.) who lost his life in an accident at turn 300 during the Supersport 1 race.

The circus will continue tomorrow and in the long post "Mich Ottantaquattro" explained that the time has come to say enough, also talking about retirement.

Fabrizio talks about a changed "world" upon returning after 6 years of distance. Below is the long post which also talks about indifference on the part of the International Federation and Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi.

Statements Michel Fabrizio retirement after death of Dean Berta Viñales

“Tomorrow I will refuse to run out of respect for human life. And I'm retiring. It's time to say enough is enough. Today I witnessed a bad day, the loss of a 15 year old rider. I have seen many races like this in this category, and every time one finished, we breathed a sigh of relief because it had gone well. But unfortunately it doesn't always go well and today the unforeseeable happened or perhaps what we knew could happen. I have been lying on my hotel bed for more than 5 hours looking at the ceiling, thinking back to the beautiful moments that this sport has given me. But returning after 6 years I saw this world changed. I saw indifference on the part of the International Federation: fielding 42 children in the Yamaha cup (luckily everything went smoothly in 2021) and another 42 in the 300 World Championship. Too many, too many riders with little or even very little experience, and this doesn't just happen in the world championship, but also in national championships, where to make money you take everything, up to the last available place. Valentino Rossi years ago, when Marquez entered MotoGP, was criticized, saying that he complained about Marquez's "incorrect" maneuvers. We have to agree with him. Marc has become a point of reference: these young people emulate his exploits, overtaking too close to the limit, leaning on their opponent and risking every centimeter. Let's add that I am retiring from the world of racing to send a strong message of protest! So that the rules change to safeguard human lives. The problem exists in Moto3, in the Talent Cup and in the national championships! In addition to this, the slopes must also be reviewed and must provide better escape spaces! See Valentino's accident who risked dying due to a poorly made track. See the Red Bull Ring, where drivers fall and remain stuck in the middle of the racing line! All this depends on the FIM which does not play a role of safeguarding life but simply prefers business! It's time for the politics of every nation to intervene! The first to send a strong message was Ayrton Senna, who said some tracks were dangerous, and only after his death was action taken. To date, there are fewer deaths in Formula 1, whereas in motorcycling there has recently been a massacre!”