World Superbike team Supersonic Racing has picked up a new, but highly controversial sponsor Fabrizio Corona and his magazine Corona Star’s.
Fabrizio Corona, for those of you who are lucky enough not to follow Italian gossip, runs his own agency and is the king of professional paparazzi and second only to Silvio Berlusconi in getting his name in the papers.
Between his highly publized affair with an Argentinian model/showgirl and getting arrested for a number of things that includes drug dealing, and promoting prostitution; Corona was sentenced last year to three-and-a-half year’s jail for extortion, and one of his victims was former MotoGP and now Superbike rider Marco Melandri.
Corona tried extort €10,000 from Melandri’s manager Alberto Vergani, in order not to publish photos and videos of Melandri together with porno star Brigitta Bulgari during a private party in a club on the eve of a Mugello race.
Vergani refused to pay up and taped the conversation and both he and Melandri had to spend their days in court testifying and their depositions helped convict Corona.
Fabrizio Corona: “I decided to enter the world of motorcycle racing and Superbikes in particular.
A place where passion exceeds economic interests, and where the show is always extremely exciting and engaging.
I follow World Superbike and I invite all my fans to cheer for the Supersonic Racing Team.
”Can you imagine Melandri’s face if he happens to run into bad boy Corona in the Misano or Imola paddock and the guy has one of his entourage snap pics of Melandri or his girlfriend Manuela? Sparks will fly.