MotoGP star flown to hospital as horror 120mph crash investigated - 'He was all over me'

Marco Bezzecchi of Italy and Spain's Maverick Vinales crashed astatine 120mph during the Australian Grand Prix Sprint contention connected Saturday, with the incidental inactive being probe by the stewards

A MotoGP prima was airlifted to infirmary aft being progressive successful a 120mph clang during the Australian Grand Prix Sprint race.

Italian rider Marco Bezzecchi deed the backmost of Spain's Maverick Vinales connected the archetypal country astatine the Phillip Island circuit connected Saturday afternoon. The 2 riders some went flying disconnected their bikes, with the incidental described arsenic a 'massive crash' by the MotoGP commentator.

Vinales has been declared acceptable aft the incidental but Bezzecchi was airlifted to infirmary successful Melbourne to acquisition a afloat checkup. Despite impacting astatine 120mph, Bezzecchi is understood not to person suffered immoderate fractures oregon superior injuries.

The 25-year-old was seemingly dragged into Vinales' slipstream and took the brunt of the high-speed collision, laying look down successful the gravel without moving for 10 seconds. Meanwhile, Vinales was treated for an elbow successful assemblage aft the fall.

Bezzecchi was treated by medics and checked for immoderate superior injuries earlier being stretchered disconnected and flown via chopper to hospital. Vinales was acceptable capable to get connected the backmost of a steward's bike, with the clang inactive nether probe hours later.

Speaking to motogp.com, Vinales said that some helium and Bezzecchi volition beryllium racing successful Sunday's Grand Prix. "I consciousness precise sore," the 29-year-old added. "Obviously present much and much symptom is coming. It's normal.

The clang was big. I entered truly accelerated onto the gravel. Luckily the helmet worked and besides acknowledgment to Arai and Alpinestars, due to the fact that ever it keeps you truly harmless and that's fantastic. [It] feels similar thing is broken, but everything is precise sore, particularly the manus and the arms.

"We'll see, from my constituent of view, what I felt was that helium tried to overtake maine again erstwhile I overtook him. Obviously, I was alert that I could not transverse the line, truthful I braked leaving him immoderate space. But astir apt helium misunderstood the braking constituent oregon thing and erstwhile helium braked, helium was each implicit me.

"[The] stewards request to determine which is the enactment of the incident. I explained to them precise good what happened and I deliberation they understand. They were listening, which is precise important, and we'll see. We were expecting… luckily, we are some good and we're going to contention tomorrow."

Bezzecchi's VR46 team-mate and chap rider, Fabio Di Giannantonio, was racing conscionable down the clang and adjacent got deed with debris from the collision. "For sure, I saw the crash, it was a scary infinitesimal - judge me, it was a truly scary moment," Di Giannantonio explained.

"Because erstwhile you are arriving there, you person to power your bike, and you spot 2 bikes successful beforehand of you exploding - virtually - it's scary. Also, due to the fact that immoderate pieces from their bikes deed me. I got a titanium sheet connected racing suit wholly destroyed; besides connected the helmet and the screen. It was a scary one. Luckily everybody seems to beryllium okay, but it was a pugnacious one."

Elsewhere successful the Sprint race, title person Jorge Martin took maximum points aft different ascendant race. Martin led each thigh and bushed Marc Marquez by 1.520 seconds. In qualifying for the Grand Prix, Martin besides took rod presumption by pipping Marquez erstwhile more. Vinales is acceptable to commencement 3rd connected the grid.