Moto2 front-runner Aron Canet claims that he has been rejected by certain teams because of his heavily tattooed body.
Canet is the 2019 Moto3 world championship runner-up and currently holds third position in the Moto2 standings, albeit without having won a race in nearly three years now in the intermediate class.
He had taken to wearing a bowtie in parc ferme and on the podium whenever he finished in the top three, the meaning of which he promised to explain when he finally got that victory.
However, the Spaniard has decided to reveal the secret before that day comes, while also claiming his ink has held back his career.
“I wore it [bowtie] when I was on the podium after Mugello 2021,” Canet recounted to Spanish sport newspaper AS.
“It turns out that we were in negotiations with several teams of various categories and some rejected me because I wore tattoos and more nonsense.
“And outside the paddock I have also been crossed out as things without knowing me, because of my image.
“I can understand that I like reggaeton and another likes hard rock, but that’s why I don’t treat him worse or I’m going to discriminate against him.
“What I want to make clear is that by having tattoos you are not a worse person or a bad person, far from it.
“You are the same person.”
The bowtie, one of which Canet has now ceremonially broken for his AS interview, therefore became a symbol about his apparent discrimination.
“The bowtie is a message to some people inside the paddock and outside it who have labelled me this or that thing without knowing me and for having tattoos, in a discriminatory way,” explained the now 23-year-old.
“You are not a better or worse person for having tattoos. Some saw me as a murderer for having my body tattooed, when in fact I am the same kid as when I was 16 years old and I did not wear them.
“We have the same gas with or without tattoos and I am the same person and the same elite athlete, the one who gets up in the morning to train at home, in Andorra, and having tattoos does not have to make you a better or worse person, the same as wearing a bowtie.”
Riding for Pons Racing this year, Canet has six second placings and three pole positions from the first 16 rounds.
He scored the most recent of those pole positions last time out at Motegi but crashed out of an early race lead and the bowtie looked like remaining a mystery for at least another week.
MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo, himself tattooed, was asked about Canet’s claim.
“For sure, he has a lot of tattoos,” the Yamaha rider agreed.
“But I can understand, also, the teams.
“I know how, for some brands, it is important to have no tattoos. Some do not care.
“It is sad because he is a really strong rider.
“Hopefully, if he is ready to move to MotoGP, I hope he finds someone.”
Francesco Bagnaia, who attracted controversy recently for a special Dennis Rodman helmet design, added: “I think it is strange we have problems like this.
“It doesn’t mean anything if we have a lot of tattoos.
“For a team to reject you because you have tattoos? It is something I do not understand.”
Practice for the Thailand Grand Prix starts today at Buriram.
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