If you ask for Fernando in the BbKRT garage, no one will know who you’re talking about—but if you mention “Fleki,” everyone will! “Fleki” is the nickname of Fernando Rodríguez and has practically become his first name; it’s an affectionate diminutive of the Spanish word flequillo (fringe), a hairstyle that has accompanied him all his life and that he proudly wears.

Fleki’s passion for motorcycles began at the age of four when his father gave him a mini bike. He raced in youth championships in Andalusia until, as in many cases, the family finances no longer allowed him to continue his budding career. At 18 he then launched himself into the world of mechanics: in the 1990s he began his career as a racing mechanic in Valencia with TJ Racing (Jorge Martínez Aspar’s team in the Spanish Championship) and the Cuna de Campeones promotional series with Julian Miralles. Later, in the 2000s, he began his relationship with the Roda brothers, becoming part of the Procurve team and later Glaner. It was a time when he combined competing in the Spanish Supersport with Joan Lascorz alongside supporting youth promotion cups in Catalonia.

He was one of the founding mechanics of Provec Racing, competing in the Supersport World Championship with Kawasaki before making the jump to the Kawasaki Racing Team and WorldSBK with the Provec structure. From 2014 he changed direction and competed in Moto2 with Suter and FTR; he later became part of the team that won the Supersport World Championship in 2018 with Lucas Mahias—Fleki claims to be the first Spanish mechanic to become Supersport World Champion! From 2019 he returned to the Provec Racing orbit as Ana Carrasco’s mechanic for four seasons, being one of the protagonists of the documentary Ride Your Dream from that period.

Fleki is a true petrolhead, always passionate about working in the paddock even if it means many sacrifices, whether in WorldSBK or even in classic bike endurance races (a discipline in which he has also managed to put bikes on the podium!). And speed isn’t limited to anything with wheels: he currently has two horses that are his only passion that doesn’t run on gasoline or rock and roll.