WATCH Johann Zarco being wiped out by rival’s bike in freak accident
Johann Zarco's season comes to a shocking conclusion after freak accident sees him taken out by a rival's bike as he walked from his own shunt
Johann Zarco suffered a painful end to a difficult 2019 MotoGP campaign after being caught up in a bizarre accident during the final round of the season in Valencia.
The Frenchman had been running inside the points when he lost the front-end at the Turn 6 Angel Nieto corner, only seconds after Danilo Petrucci suffered his own similar accident up the road.
However, as Zarco walked away through the gravel trap with his back to the circuit, the unseen KTM of Iker Lecuona was also skating through the gravel trap after the MotoGP rookie suffered his own front-end fall moments later.
Striking him square in the back of the legs, Zarco was flipped up and backwards quickly in the freak impact, landing heavily and leaving him visibly shocked.
Johann Zarco is wiped out by a bike coming into the gravel!
Thankfully he appears unhurt...
This could've been really nasty. #ValenciaGP pic.twitter.com/5tGH7feeMG— MotoGP on BT Sport (@btsportmotogp) November 17, 2019
With the innocent Lecuona coming over to check on Zarco, the Frenchman was stretchered away but mercifully was seen a few minutes later back in his pit box appearing seemingly unharmed.
Fortunately for Zarco, Lecuona's bike remained flat as he came towards him, thus preventing a potentially much more serious incident had it been barrel-rolling.
"I was sliding and thinking it was a shame I’d lost the race, and I didn’t check on the bike and then the bike of (Iker) Lecuona totally took me away. I had big pain on the left ankle and I was scared, but now it’s not so bad as there are no broken bones. We’ll have to do some more tests tomorrow, but it’s ok I think."
It ended a dismal weekend for the LCR Honda team after Cal Crutchlow crashed out a few laps earlier, marking the team’s second consecutive double DNF after both riders fell in Malaysia too.
The crash also spoiled an eye-catching result for Lecuona, the Spaniard working his way into the top 15 in his first-ever MotoGP race ahead of a full-season in the premier class next year with Red Bull Tech 3 KTM.
