MOTOGP rider Pol Espargaro suffered several serious injuries, including back and chest trauma, in a horrific crash at the Portuguese Grand Prix on Friday.
The 31-year-old was flicked from his KTM bike in the closing stages of FP2 after losing control on the straight before turn 10.
He then slid across the track at high speed before violently bouncing through the gravel trap and crashing into the barrier.
Following the shocking scenes, the practice session was immediately red-flagged and Espargaro was tended to by trackside medics.
After almost 30 minutes of treatment, the GasGas Factory rider was loaded into the back of an ambulance before being airlifted to a local hospital in Faro.
MotoGP later confirmed that Espargaro had suffered a pulmonary contusion, jaw fracture and a fractured dorsal vertebra.
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A doctor also revealed that despite the horrific nature of his injuries, Espargaro did not lose consciousness at any stage.
Dr Angel Charte said: “He has had a high-energy fall with a large polytraumatic contusion at the level of the entire dorsal, lumbar and sacral spine.
“We’ll have to see what the extent is once tests are done at the hospital in Faro.
“Cervically, he is perfectly fine. Neurologically, he is fine, he has not lost consciousness at any time.
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“We have not had to intubate him at any time and he has saturated well, but it is true that he has a strong pulmonary contusion.
“He is conscious and oriented, a little sedated, but the neurological examination is perfectly normal.”
Some MotoGP riders have since called for action to be taken in order to protect those involved in the sport.
VR46 Ducati rider Luca Marini said: “Sincerely, the crash was very particular.
“But in the conditions of today, it was possible. Because also myself, I felt it.
“If you use too much rear brake on the uphill, you feel the rear slide, because there is no grip on track.
“But every year is the same. In this track we need another [type of] gravel. But the track doesn’t change it.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
