Marco Bezzecchi
Aleix Espargaro is travelling home after a ‘very heavy’ crash during a Honda MotoGP test in Malaysia. Espargaro narrowly avoided spinal cord damage in the accident.
Alongside Takaaki Nakagami, Espargaro has been testing Honda’s 850cc MotoGP bike at the Sepang circuit this week. He suffered four broken vertebrae in the crash on Tuesday.
Espargaro retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2024 season and moved from Aprilia to Honda. He appeared in five races last season as a wildcard/replacement rider, taking his premier class start total to 260.
A scary crash for Aleix Espargaro
He was testing the 850cc Honda in Malaysia
Aleix Espargaro’s Instagram statement after Honda test injuries
Writing on Instagram, Espargaro revealed that his wife Laura had flown to Malaysia after the crash and also thanked Honda for their support.
He plans to speak to doctors in Barcelona in the coming days and decide whether surgery is required. That will naturally determine the length of his absence.
“On Tuesday, during the test here in Sepang, I suffered a very heavy crash. As a result, I sustained several contusions and four broken vertebrae, although by a very small margin, and thankfully, they did not affect the spinal cord.
“After a few days at CU Aurelius Hospital, where I’ve been treated incredibly well, I’m now able to fly home with Laura, who came to the rescue from the other side of the world (once again, and I’ve lost count…) and there we will evaluate whether surgery is needed at Quiron Dexeus.
“Thanks to my entire Honda team for taking care of me these past few days. Sorry for the scare, I’ll be back!”
Previous reports suggested that Honda WSBK star Jake Dixon was the ‘official substitute rider’ if any of his MotoGP colleagues were injured. If Espargaro is out for an extended period, it could lead to an expanded role for the Briton.
Full-time riders will be able to test the 2027 prototypes from June.LCR pair Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira are both under contract for next year, but the futures of Joan Mir and Luca Marinia re uncertain with Fabio Quartararo set to join Honda’s factory team.
MotoGP bosses aimed to make the sport safer with the 2027 rule changes with smaller engines and reduced aerodynamics, which should lead to lower cornering speeds. However, Espargaro’s crash shows that the danger of serious injury remains.
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