Yesterday at the MXGP of Trentino, Ryan Villopoto had a bizarre crash while being pressured from Clement Desalle for third, looping off the back of the bike entering the pit straight. Villopoto immediately left the track with an apparent back injury.
His team released a statement today that the initial medical investigation at the mobile clinic revealed no broken bones. RV will undergo an MRI today to confirm. Read the entire statement below.
A similar race on the treacherous surface in race two saw him hold third place for nine of the nineteen laps before he lost control of his bike on the bumpy straight in front of pit lane and crashed heavily. He was able to get to his feet without aid but was unable to rejoin the race. Initial medical investigations in the mobile clinic at the track have revealed no broken bones, but he will undergo scans on Monday to confirm these findings. Ryan now holds down sixth place in the world standings, but is only five points shy of fourth.
Teammate Tyla Rattray withdrew from the GP on Sunday morning as he had suffered severe headache the previous evening in the wake of an incident during the qualifying race when another rider hit him. The South African was also due to be medically examined in Monday.
Ryan Villopoto was unavailable for comment after crashing during the second moto, but prior to racing he had commented: “This is a difficult and technical track. You need to be smooth to be fast.”
Tyla Rattray: “It’s been a very disappointing weekend for me. In the qualifying race I was in the top twelve when another rider hit me before the end of the first lap. I hit my head pretty strong, and together with the team it was decided to take it easy and not to race today as I had a strong headache Saturday evening. I’ll visit my doctor on Monday and, if everything is good, we’ll prepare for Valkenswaard.”
