THE shamed kart racer who threw a bumper at a rival before starting a fight with him has said he will never race again.
Italian Luca Corberi, 23, labelled himself ‘disgraceful’ and said he volunteered to hand in his licence after drawing worldwide condemnation for his sickening meltdown.
Shamed Corberi, here with his parents who own the track where he went into meltdown, has said he will never race againCredit: © Photo FIA Karting / KSP
Corberi launches the bumper at Ippolito from close range
The driver was forced to retire from the race but rather than go back to the pits he waited for Ippolito to come round again
The driver stands waiting for his moment to strike
Video captured Corberi waiting at the side of the Lonato track – built and owned by his family in Lombardy – during an FIA Karting World Championship race.
Corberi had been forced to retire nine laps into the 23-lap KZ Final after a collision with Paolo Ippolito.
But rather than leave the circuit, he waited for Ippolito to come past again at full speed before hurling his bumper at him.
Cameras later picked up Corberi – who used to race against current F1 star Lance Stroll – attacking Ippolito in the pit area.
Brit hero and former F1 world champ Jenson Button demanded Corberi be banned for life for his sickening violence.
Corberi has since broken his silence on Facebook and said he will never race again after what turned out to be ‘the worst day of my life’.
He wrote: “I’d like to apologise to the motorsport community for what I’ve done.
“There are no excuses to explain why I’ve done such a disgraceful act.
Corberi also ignored stewards as they tried to get him off the circuit safely
Button demanded a lifetime ban for ‘idiot’ Corberi after his horrific meltdown
“This has been something I’ve never done in the 15 years of my career, and I really hope it won’t be seen by anybody else in the future.
“After the race, once I had been called by the sporting judges, I asked them to take my licence away because I was fully conscious about my irreparable mistakes.
“But as they showed me, they don’t have the power for doing it, it’s written in the international rules.
“So please don’t be against them, they were just doing their work in the best way they could.
“For this reason I’ve decided I won’t take part in any other motorsport competition for the rest of my life.
“That’s not a self-justice, it’s simply the right thing to do.
Corberi then continued the attack in the pit lane afterwards
He shoved his rival into the fence and hammered down with punches
Fellow drivers and workers rushed in to stop the scrap
Ippolito felt the full force of Corberi’s rage during the amazing attack
“My family has been in karting since 1985, we’ve seen it grow, we’ve seen the best and the worst part of it.
“This episode will be remembered as one of the worst in our sport and that’s something I’ll never forget.
“I’m not asking any indulgence, because I don’t deserve it. I will totally agree with the punishments required.
“I’m writing today to say sorry even if it’s not enough, because after all the bad things that happened during this event, the worst ever has been done by me, a guy who loves this sport and, even after the worst day of his life, will still remember his good racing memories.”
F1 legend Felipe Massa, president of CIK-FIA, karting’s governing body, posted a tweet with photos of Corberi’s meltdown.
He wrote alongside it: “This behaviour is unacceptable in our sport.
“Those individuals will face the consequences of their actions.”
The FIA also tweeted: “The FIA and ACI are deeply concerned by the disturbing events that occurred during the FIA Karting KZ World Championship in Lonato, Italy, involving drivers, team members and track officials.
“The FIA has launched an immediate investigation in to the incidents.”
Corberi’s rage came in his first return to the KZ Final for three years at the circuit operated by his parents.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
