Moto2 rider voices concerns after ‘scariest moment of my racing career’

Jorge Navarro says that his experience at Phillip Island “shouldn’t ever happen” after the Moto2 race continued while he sat next to the track with a broken leg.

The Pons Racing rider was diagnosed with a fractured a femur after he crashed exiting Miller Corner and was struck by Simone Corsi, who had been unable to avoid contact.

What happened next has come in for heavy criticism.

While broadcast footage shows that the section was covered with a local yellow flag, apparently double-waved, the race continued despite Navarro sitting mere metres to riders’ left of the race track between Miller Corner and Siberia for multiple laps.

The Spaniard himself commented on the matter in an update on his condition which he posted to social media following his surgery.

“I wanted to do this video to tell you that I’m okay, that my physical condition is getting better every day and I also wanted you to know how I felt on Sunday,” read the English translation posted with said video.

“Without any doubts this was the scariest moment of my racing career and my life.

“To be super close at the track with the bikes passing by and seeing my leg broken in two.

“This shouldn’t ever happen, to anyone.

“Thank you to Simone and the Marshal who stayed by my side.

“A big thanks also to all of the Medical stuff [sic] at the circuit and The Alfred Hospital who took really good care of me.

“Thank you for all of your kind messages, they mean a lot to me.

“The surgery went well and I am recovering.”

Former MotoGP rider Loris Baz was among those to weigh in on the incident online, noting the irony that transiting a yellow flag zone in practice or qualifying constitutes an automatic loss of lap time, yet riders continued to race through a yellow flag zone while Navarro was injured.

“Lap canceled for marshals [sic] safety if you ride fast with a yellow flag… and then this,” he wrote on Twitter.

Speed Up’s Alonso Lopez won the Australia race while Honda Team Asia’s Ai Ogura took over the Moto2 championship lead despite finishing only 11th, after KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernandez crashed out of third position at Southern Loop with less than 10 laps to go.

Round 19 of 20, at Malaysia’s Sepang, starts this Friday.

 

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