Rider hospitalized as bike erupts in flames in British MotoGP horror smash (VIDEO)
Italian racer Andrea Dovizioso has been admitted to hospital after experiencing memory loss in the aftermath of a first-turn crash at the British MotoGP after he collided with Fabio Quartararo in worrying scenes at Silverstone.
Dovizioso and Fabio Quartararo collided on the first lap of Saturday's race moments after the green light, with Dovizioso's Ducati Corse bike catching fire moments later.
The 33-year-old Dovizioso was thrown into the air following the smash as his bike tumbled towards the periphery of the track and caught ablaze, while the Italian remained motionless after rolling over more than 11 times after the high-speed accident. He was stretchered away shortly thereafter.
Dovizioso was admitted to a nearby medical facility for "further checks due to a severe blow to the head", his team confirmed. They also revealed that the racer has experienced memory loss as a result of the crash.
BIKE ON FIRE...!!!a massive crash at the start as Andrea Dovizioso and Fabio Quartararo are involved in a HUGE moment which sees Dovi's Ducati set ablaze. We hope the riders are okay. But this doesn't look good.."#MotoGP#BritishGPpic.twitter.com/h1EaAnxi4z
— Airlangga Yudha (@Airlangga1101) August 25, 2019
🇬🇧 #BritishGPAfter the big crash on lap 1 @AndreaDovizioso has nothing broken but has been transferred to Coventry Hospital for further checks due to a severe blow to the head that caused a momentary loss of memory.#ForzaDovipic.twitter.com/GDJn6pgvzb
— Ducati (@DucatiMotor) August 25, 2019
Davide Tardozzi just told us there were 10-15 mins after crash when Dovizioso couldn’t recall what happened. 1st he thought he made a mistake, but then it started to come back to him. Soon he was ok, smiling & joking.
— Neil Morrison (@NeilMorrison87) August 25, 2019
They also confirmed that he suffered no broken bones in the incident.
The accident marks the second time this season in which Dovizioso has crashed out of a race, after being clipped by Jorge Lorenzo at the Catalan MotoGP in June.
The crash comes as a blow to Dovizioso's hope of winning the MotoGP crown as he currently sits in second spot in the overall standings, some 78 points behind the leader Marc Marquez of Spain - who placed second in Saturday's race which was won by his compatriot Alex Rins.
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