Marc Marquez was sent flying off his bike during the warm up session ahead of the Indonesian Grand Prix, forcing him out of the race.
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Marquez is one of the greatest racers in the history of MotoGP, having won the title six times, only behind the Italian pair Giacomo Agostini and Valentino Rossi.
The Spaniard missed the 2020 season with an arm injury but returned part way through last year's season to win three races, but he was nowhere near the title battle.
After finishing fifth at the Qatar Grand Prix, the first race of this year's season, the 29-year-old would have been hoping to pick up more points in Indonesia on Sunday.
However, on the day of the race, during the warm up session, Marquez was thrown from his bike in the most dramatic way possible, flying into the air and crashing down into the gravel.
Marquez was sent flying a turn seven of the Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia, just as the session was coming towards the end.
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He was able to get to his feet following the 115 mph crash although it was clear that he wasn't 100% as he walked towards the wreckage of his bike and away from the course.
The Honda Repsol rider was soon taken to hospital to be checked up and it was confirmed he wasn't medically cleared to take part in the race due to concussion.
"Marc is fine. He had a high energy crash in the warm up, which resulted in a head injury. Initially, we examined him here and then referred him to the hospital in Lombok," Doctor Angel Charte said of the Spanish racer's condition.
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"He underwent several radiological tests, which were negative.
"In agreement with the rider and the team, and due to the fact that this type of pathology requires a period of observation between 12 and 24 hours, the rider, the team and the MotoGP medical staff have decided to declare him as unfit."
The new tyres for this year's MotoGP season has caused issues for grip at the rear of the bike and Marquez had issues earlier in the session before his crash, and also nearly crashed twice during qualifying.
The race was eventually won by Red Bull rider Miguel Oliveira, with reigning champion Fabio Quartararo in second place.
Topics: Moto GP