MotoGP rider Marco Bezzecchi was taken to hospital on Saturday after being involved in a horrific accident during the Australian motorcycle Grand Prix at the Phillip Island circuit.
The 25-year-old Italian, who rides for VR46, appeared to cut the rear wheel of Spanish rider Maverick Viñales’ bike.
The incident took place in the first corner of the track, and both drivers were thrown from their mounts, which were traveling at approximately 190 km/h.
The cyclists skidded on the asphalt for about 100 meters before stopping in a sand flow.
Viñales, who rides for Aprilla, was reportedly in good shape after the race but had been treated for an elbow injury. Bezzecchi is believed to have been taken to a hospital in Melbourne, but is believed to have suffered no serious injuries or fractures.
Viñales told MotoGP that he “felt very sore” after the incident.
Surprisingly, both drivers continued racing on Sunday, with Viñales starting third on the grid while Bezzecchi started fourth.
The former would place eighth in the race while Bezzecchi would finish last, with Marc Márquez winning the Australian Grand Prix.
Bezzecchi’s last place finish comes after he was handed a lengthy lap penalty following the crash.
But Viñales was not very impressed with the Italian driver, claiming that he should have braked before making contact.
“I’m pretty good, I was just a little afraid that I hit the nerve and my hand was sleepy so I couldn’t feel it,” Viñales told TNT Sports.
‘I have some bruises. Surely when you fall at this speed, you always feel pain, so tomorrow will be difficult.
Marco Bezzecchi and Maverick Vinales suffered a terrible accident during the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday.
The two cyclists, who were traveling at about 190 kilometers per hour, were thrown from their bicycles.
‘From my point of view I saw him again, I don’t know, I don’t think he even braked, he just hit me from behind.
And he added: “I feel like maybe I wanted to get ahead again from within, the stewards will decide.”
“But the problem is, if a flight attendant steps in and says yes, maybe next time I won’t even break, so we’ll see.”
“I don’t know, after this episode, if nothing strong is done, I mean the stewards or the championship, allowing us to just lift the brakes and hit everyone, so we’ll see.”
“I’m fine, this is a race and I accept having contact, but there is contact and there is contact.”
“It’s a shame because I think we could have been fourth in the sprint, we were fast, we’ll try it tomorrow.”
“Let’s see how I wake up because it hurts a lot but I think we have a good chance tomorrow.”
Although Viñales and Bezzecchi were the two main protagonists of the incident, a third driver was also affected.
Bezzecchi’s VR46 teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio was running just behind the pair and claimed he was hit by debris from the crash.
“I probably saw the accident, it was a scary moment – believe me, it was a really scary moment,” he said.
They proceeded to skid across the asphalt and onto a sand track before both drivers came to a stop.
Bezzecchi was airlifted to hospital before returning to race in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The Italian driver’s Bezzecchi racing suit was left in tatters after the accident
“Because when you get there, you have to control your bike and you see two bikes in front of you exploding, literally, it’s scary.
‘Also, because some pieces of their bicycles hit me. I have a titanium plate on (my) racing suit completely destroyed; also on the helmet and screen. It was terrifying. Luckily, everyone seems to be okay, but it was difficult.”
