Fans furious at MotoGP officials after driver is run over and left helpless on track
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MotoGP officials have come under fire after Spanish rider Jorge Navarro was left lying helpless on the track after a horror crash.
The Moto2 race failed to come to a halt after the driver was thrown from his bike after being clipped from behind.
Navarro then proceeded to get run over by fellow driver Simone Corsi, who also fell from their bike.
However, it was the aftermath of the crash that had racing fans particularly fuming as no red flags were to be seen.
A big one between @simonecorsi and @Jorge_Navarro9 💥
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 16, 2022
And shortly after @TonyArbolino is out of contention at T8 ⚠️#AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/D53yvJtrZi
The Spanish star simply sat slumped on the turf as he awaited attention, still in harm's way for an entire two laps.
He eventually needed to be stretchered off the track and taken to Alfred Hospital.
It was later confirmed that Navarro had suffered a fractured femur.
Fans watching the race were shocked that the race hadn’t been stopped as officials stood next to the injured rider as fellow riders flew past.
One commentator said at the time: “I think the issue there is Navarro’s come to rest where riders don’t normally end up being.
“The yellow flags are obviously still being waved into that corner. The marshals are in attendance, they were very quickly on the scene.
“Now it’s just a case of getting a stretcher over to Jorge Navarro as soon as possible.”
MotoGP journalist Simon Patterson was more brutal in his assessment.
He wrote: “There is an injured rider lying on the inside of a corner, with no helmet on, AND NO RED FLAG. Are race control asleep????
“Jorge Navarro had been lying there for TWO LAPS and somehow THAT’S OK???? What on earth are the clowns doing?
“A horrendous crash where he got run over by another bike. The sort that can cause internal bleeding, collapsed lungs, all sorts of horrible internal injuries. He clearly needed a stretcher.
“Looking back at the incident, I might be wrong but it seems like one of the marshals is signalling that his radio isn’t working and another is calling for the race to be stopped.”
HOW is two laps of that safe?? For the injured rider, for the volunteer marshals and medics, for the other riders? https://t.co/oqhbO9moM2
— Simon Patterson (@denkmit) October 16, 2022
Another fan said: “No red flag? Unbelievable.”
A second wrote: “Shocking there was no red flag… very shocking.”
A third added: “The fact that Navarro got run over [and it] wasn’t enough reason to set the red flag in motion is beyond appalling.”
Simone Corsi suffered an injury to his right little finger in the collision.
Featured Image Credit: MotoGP/Twitter.
Topics: Motorsport, Australia