Spanish Moto GP racer Alex Marquez suffered a broken neck and collarbone after crashing at the Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona on Sunday.
Marquez, the brother of Moto GP legend Marc Marquez, collided with the back of race leader Pedro Acosta after 12 laps of the 24-lap race. Acosta's bike lost power on the main straight, and although Acosta attempted to alert riders behind him, Marquez had no time to react.
After striking the KTM bike, Marquez and his motorcycle headed toward the wall and cartwheeled through the air. Paramedics immediately treated him at the track, and officials brought out a red flag to halt the race.
Hospital assessment and surgery
Hospital assessments confirmed that Marquez suffered a marginal fracture of the C7 vertebra in his neck along with a broken collarbone. The Spanish rider was confirmed conscious after being admitted to Hospital General de Catalunya.
On Sunday night, Marquez posted a picture from his hospital bed wearing a neck brace while giving a thumbs-up. "Everything's under control. I have to go into surgery tonight, but I couldn't be in better hands. Thank you all so much for your concern and for all the kind messages I'm receiving," Marquez wrote.
Doctors scheduled Marquez for collarbone surgery on Sunday night, with further evaluation required for his neck injury. Marquez had won the sprint race on Saturday and had been hopeful of securing success in Sunday's main event.
Race restart and reaction
The race experienced a second red flag following the restart when former Moto2 champion Johann Zarco crashed and was taken to hospital. Rider Fabio Di Giannantonio, who was struck by flying debris during Marquez's initial crash, recovered to win the restarted race.
Speaking after the event, TNT Sports pundit Sylvain Guintoli highlighted the dangers of high-speed collisions. "These types of crashes can be very dangerous when you have parts of bikes flying around the way Alex Marquez crashed," Guintoli said. "We really hope that there's nothing bad with Alex. Unfortunately, when you have odd crashes like this, when you have speed differences like this, this is where really serious things can happen, so fingers crossed. It's one of those where you just hope for no bad news."
