Just yesterday we posted the news that Marco Simoncelli will be called in by the Race Direction to discuss the incident that saw him involved in the crash that saw Dani Pedrosa break his collarbone and we also added in our post “Simoncelli will already be facing an army of angry Spaniards waiting for him in Barcelona, who are not afraid of showing their vocal displeasure against riders they think that have wronged their fellow countrymen, as the Italian can testify after his clash with Hector Barbera” but now certain angry fans having taken their displeasure to a level that isn’t just razing, booing or wearing I hate T-shirts.
According to Italian news agency Ansa.
it” team manager Fausto Gresini has reported that Simoncelli has received serious threats from Spanish fans following Pedrosa’s injury.
The Italian rider has already been labelled as dangerous, something that he’s carried around with him since the lower classes which earned him the nickname of ‘The Barbarian’ in Spanish circles, however after the Le Mans incident a Facebook group sprung up demanding that Simoncelli’s racing license be revoked.
Albert Puig, Pedrosa’s manager, went so far as to ask for a jail sentence, mimicking Simoncelli’s response to Jorge Lorenzo at Estoril.
In the Gresini team press release on the Catalunya GP preview Simoncelli said “Overall on reflection I have realised where I have gone wrong and in the future I will try at certain times to evaluate the situation better and be a little more cautious.
I know that I’m probably not going to get a standing ovation at Barcelona but I hope that if I am criticised it is done in a civilised manner and not in the way that has happened in other sports in the past.
In any case I just want to put the controversy behind me and get out there on my bike and start working towards a race that I am sure the team and I have the potential to do well in.
”Will this statement be enough to calm angry Spanish fans? We sincerely hope so.