An Italian karter has quit the sport and has said he will never take part in any motorsport competition again after his meltdown during a race went viral and attracted condemnation from around the world.
Luca Corberi has said that he is deeply ashamed of his actions and that there were absolutely no excuses for his actions. He had offered voluntarily to hand in his racing licence, but, as there was no provision for this in the rules of the sport, he has taken matters into his own hands.
Images showed Corberi throw his bumper at a rival, and then assault him in the pit area after the race.
23-year old Corberi was taking part in the Karting K2 World Championship race on Lonato, in northern Italy on Sunday, on a track owned and managed by his parents.
The incident occurred on the ninth lap when Corberi collided with rival Paolo Ippolito and crashed out of the race. Enraged, rather than leaving the circuit as is customary, he waited until Ippolito came round next lap when driving at full speed, Corberi threw the bumper from his crashed car at him.
Nor was he finished there. Once the race was finished, as Ippolito was getting out of his kart, Corberi pushed him into a fence and began raining punches down on him, until other drivers and track workers intervened.
Motorsports governing body, the FIA, have launched a full investigation into what it called disgraceful scenes, whilst former Formula One world champion, Jenson Button, called for the Italian to be banned for life.
Corberi though is not prepared to wait for any official sanction and has quit the sport, and all forms of racing with immediate effect. He said that his family had been involved with karting since 1985, and that he would keep good racing memories for the rest of his life, but that he did not deserve any indulgence for what had happened.
Ippolito was shaken by the incidents but suffered no long-lasting harm.
