A number of Moto2 riders were forced to flee for safety at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve track, after a horror crash saw a bike explode into flames. The crash came with 15 laps remaining of the Portuguese GP, as a large chunk of the field approached turn two.
Wet conditions had made driving on the track difficult with the rainfall leading to a lack of grip for the riders. This then led to eight of the field simultaneously spinning off the circuit, with a number of them crashing into the trackside wall.
One man involved in the chaos was Zonta Van Den Goorbergh, whose bike went on to blow up in flames following the crash.
In the aftermath, Van Den Goorbergh and fellow riders were seen fleeing away for safety with his bike burning behind them. Unsurprisingly, a red flag was called, as track marshals raced over to the scene to put out the Dutchman’s burning vehicle. In a statement afterwards, MotoGP confirmed all those involved in the collision were ‘conscious’.
One man also involved in the crash was American Cameron Beaubier, who described the incident as ‘very scary’, before confirming all who crashed were ‘safe and well’. He said: “It was pretty scary, to be honest. What matters is that we are all safe and well. There was a lot of chaos, it's a drag but things are what they are."
Following the incident, it was announced that all those involved in the chaos would be unable to restart the race, as just 15 riders finished in the Portimao rain. Amid all the drama, the man who came out on top was Joe Roberts of Italtrans.
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The American finished ahead of Celestino Vietti of Italy and Jorge Navarro from Spain who completed the podium spots. Britain’s Jake Dixon was initially the man leading the way early on, however his fall at turn one ensured he crashed out of the race and was unable to finish.
The drama in Portugal means Celestino Vietti is the man who tops the Moto2 standings following his second-placed finish, after securing his fourth top-two spot of the campaign in five starts.
