Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi has escaped without serious injury after being taken out in a clash caused by rookie Fermin Aldeguer during the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix sprint.
Starting from 12th, Bezzecchi had fought his way into the top 10 and was pushing for points when Aldeguer, charging hard on his Gresini Ducati, attempted a move down the inside at Turn 5 on lap eight. The Spaniard lost the front and collided heavily with Bezzecchi.
The Aprilia rider looked in clear discomfort and was taken to the medical centre for checks. Fortunately, X-rays revealed no fractures, only bruising.
“I had to go for some medical checks,” Bezzecchi explained. “Fortunately everything is okay. Nothing is broken, so I’ll be ready for tomorrow. Of course, I have some pain in my left leg and arm, but until that moment the sprint was going well. I was managing the tyres and recovering places. About the incident, nothing crazy — these things happen in racing. Tomorrow I’ll try my best to bounce back with a strong race.”
FIM stewards handed Aldeguer a long lap penalty for Sunday’s grand prix.
Aldeguer: “A difficult crash to understand”
Aldeguer, who was also uninjured, admitted he was puzzled by the incident.
“I hope Marco is okay,” he told MotoGP.com. “When I crashed I went straight to him to apologise. It was a difficult accident to understand because I didn’t feel like I was on the limit. I tried to overtake at that tricky Turn 5, but I lost the front. Unlucky for Marco, who was there.
“My pace was very good at that moment and I was trying to recover positions. But this is racing — we need to make these mistakes this year to learn. Tomorrow I’ll serve the long lap, but we have another opportunity to improve and make a good comeback.”
