Romano Fenati - Photo Credit: Team Italia FMI
Romano Fenati is keeping his feet firmly on the ground despite becoming the third youngest Grand Prix winner of all time on Sunday. The Italian rookie dominated at Jerez to take the win, and the championship lead, but is mindful that he will be travelling to another brand new circuit this weekend, and is cautious ahead of Estoril.
“I’m very happy about the victory. I started well, getting into the top positions, then kept my pace until the end. I want to thank the whole team, and of course my family, who supported me throughout the week-end as I was getting to grips with the wet track. It was a great race and we now lead the championship. I go into the Estoril round with great humility and the curiosity to discover a track with such a great tradition.”
Team Italia FMI teammate Alessandro Tonucci scored his first points of 2012 with eleventh place at Jerez despite a sore shoulder but accepted that Fenati was the star of the show.
“I didn’t have a good start due to a problem with launch control, then I struggled with shoulder pain while on the brakes. I’ll work hard to solve all this problems and improve in Estoril. I’m very happy for my teammate’s victory, as it’s been a while since another Italian won in this category. It’s a great reward for the team, who’s working really well with both Romano and I.”
Paolo Sesti, president of the FMI, the national motorcycling federation of Italy, was a proud man following Fenati's win and paid tribute to everyone who made the achievement possible.
“Team Italia FMI wins in Spain and is now on top of the world. It’s been a long time. This results shows that we have a serious and structured project. I want to thank everyone who worked in the shadows throughout these months and Romano, who made us cry with his performance. We still have a long way to go and we want to stay humble. Team Italia’s tradition and pride will be our guidance.”
