MotoGP rider airlifted to hospital after horrifying 190kmh crash at Phillip Island – before returning to race AGAIN in Sunday’s Grand Prix

MotoGP rider Marco Bezzecchi was taken to hospital on Saturday after being involved in a terrifying crash during the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Phillip Island Circuit.

The 25-year-old Italian, who rides for VR46, appeared to have clipped the rear wheel of Spanish rider Maverick Vinales’ bike.

The incident took place at the first corner of the circuit, throwing both drivers from their carriages, which were traveling at around 120mph.

The riders slid along the asphalt for about 100 meters before coming to a stop on a sandy drain.

Vinales, who rides for Aprilla, was reportedly fit after the race but was being treated for an elbow injury. Bezzecchi was reportedly taken to a Melbourne hospital but is not believed to have suffered any serious injuries or fractures.

Vinales told MotoGP he “felt very painful” after the incident.

Remarkably, both drivers continued racing on Sunday, with Vinales starting third on the grid while Bezzecchi started fourth.

The former would finish eighth in the race, while Bezzecchi finished last, while Marc Marquez won the Australian Grand Prix.

Bezzecchi’s last place comes after he was handed a long lap penalty following the crash.

But Vinales was less than impressed with the Italian rider, claiming he should have braked before making contact.

“I’m doing fine, I was just a little worried that I hit the nerve and my hand was sleepy so I couldn’t feel it,” Vinales told TNT Sports.

‘I have some bruises. Especially when you crash at this speed, you are always in pain, so tomorrow will be tough.

The riders, who were traveling at about 120 miles per hour, were both thrown from their bikes

“From my perspective I saw him again, I don’t know, I don’t even think he braked, he just hit me from behind.

He added: ‘I feel like maybe he wanted to overtake me from the inside again, the stewards will decide.

‘But the problem was that if a steward intervenes and says that’s the case, I might not even brake next time, so we’ll see.

“I don’t know if anything strong will be done after this episode, I mean by the stewards or by the championship, that will allow us to just put on the brakes and hit everyone, so we’ll see.

‘I’m doing well, this is racing and I agree to contact, but there is contact and there is contact.

‘It’s just a shame, because I think we could definitely have finished P4 in the Sprint. We were fast, we’ll try tomorrow.

“Let’s see how I wake up, because I’m feeling very sore, but I think we have a good chance tomorrow.”

While Vinales and Bezzecchi were the two main actors in the incident, a third driver was also affected.

Bezzecchi’s VR46 teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio was racing close behind the pair and claimed he was struck by debris from the crash.

“Definitely, I saw the crash, it was a scary moment – ​​believe me, it was a really scary moment,” he said.

They slid across the asphalt and hit a sandy drop before both riders came to a stop

Bezzecchi was airlifted to hospital before returning to racing in Sunday’s Grand Prix

Italian driver Bezzecchi’s racing suit was left in tatters after the crash

‘Because when you get there, you have to control your bike, and you see two bikes blow up in front of you – literally – it’s scary.

‘Also because some parts of their bikes hit me. I have a titanium plate on it [my] racing suit completely destroyed; also on the helmet and screen. It was a scary one. Fortunately everything seems to be fine, but it was a tough task.’