Coming from both the Spanish and Italian press is the rumor that Fonsie Nieto could be retiriring from racing, and will not compete in this year’s Moto2 championship with his cousins’ Pablo e Gelete’s G22 Racing Team.
The 32 year old Nieto, nephew of legendary World Champion Angel Nieto, has won the Spanish 125cc 1998, the 250cc Spanish Championship twice in 1999 and 2000.
He took five victories in the 250cc GP World Championship and in 2002 was runner-up against Marco Melandri.
He also raced in World Superbikes in 2005 to 2009 before returning to GP racing in the new Moto2 class.
In 2010, a qualifying crash at the Indianapolis GP left him with broken left foot that required three surgeries and a brush with death when he went into respiratory arrest following an adverse reaction to painkillers, however Nieto was able to return to racing a little more than three weeks later to finish the championship 18th in the standings.
It is believed that a press conference will be held on Monday to announce Nieto’s retirement and the reasons behind the decision, and if the G22 team has found a replacement to line-up next to Raffaele de Rosa for the Moto2 tests that kick off tomorrow at the Catalunya circuit.