At the 2019 MotoGP™ season finale, we asked our fellow MotoGP™ supporters to step forward and reveal why their love for the sport was above all else.

For our first-ever Ultimate Fan search, which ran from Friday 15th November 2019 to 1st March 2020, we asked fans to tell their best tale of MotoGP™ fandom in no more than 100 words, along with an accompanying photo, video, Boomerang or GIF.

Worldwide, hundreds of lovers of the sport entered, pledging their allegiance to MotoGP™ in ways we couldn’t begin to imagine. From losing jobs for watching MotoGP™ during work hours to basing wedding themes on the sport, to getting married at racetracks and naming children after favourite riders, the entries we received covered every possibility.

With difficulty, our team have selected a winner. Cristina Armeni has been chosen as Fandom Pay’s Ultimate Fan of MotoGP™, and describes her love for Grand Prix racing as “lifelong”.

In recent years, Cristina has developed a “huge, possibly slightly unhealthy” passion for Franco Morbidelli. The MotoGP lover has created a dedicated Instagram page for those who share her passion, and spends most of her free time researching, downloading, editing and preparing content for the page – which is followed by an incredible 30,000 users.

“I put all my heart and soul into it, hoping one day Franky himself might follow it, and I promised myself that, should he ever do that, I’d celebrate by having a tattoo of his number!”

With a flat scattered with memorabilia, much to her “long-suffering” partner’s dismay, and travelling far and wide to attend events, Cristina spends as many race weekends as possible outside the garages. She can tick another event off the list when she attends the first premier class race of the 2020 season at Jerez, as a VIP guest with expenses paid – the Ultimate Fan prize.

“I can’t believe it… I have no words! I needed cheering up with the current situation, so I’m so grateful to you. Thank you!”