Motorcycle racing is life for many riders… but then again, family is family.
So imagine how unhappy Moto3 racer Dennis Foggia was when his team cancelled the pass belonging to his father, expelling him from the paddock and forcing him to watch his son collect a podium finish at the Red Bull Ring from the stands?
Indeed, the Italian rider - currently fourth in the overall standings after two wins this season - couldn’t hide his disdain towards the Leopard Racing team when it transpired it had removed the pass belonging to his father so that he couldn’t access the circuit, though he doesn’t give a reason as to why.
“My Dad [was forced to stay] out of the paddock, an unfair decision,” he told Sky Italia on live television. “He was in the stands and I thought I had to show myself on the podium.”
The incident is set to have longer term ramifications with Foggia declaring he will leave the team at the end of the season regardless of any contracts he has in place with it, adding that he will endeavour to move on to Moto2 instead.
“I was very agitated, in these days I slept little and especially last night [night before the race]. I am of the opinion that nobody can take away from me what I can do on the bike and next year I want to move to Moto2, even if there are contracts that say I have to stay here.
"I don’t want to stay in this category and in this team.”
A former member of the VR46 Racing Academy, Foggia has competed with Leopard Racing for two seasons and collected three wins with the Luxembourg-flagged team.
