Rueda and Dettwiler Airlifted After Serious Accident

In a dramatic start to the Malaysian Grand Prix, at 4:47 AM local time, just thirteen minutes before the Moto3 race was set to begin, a serious accident during the reconnaissance lap halted the action on track for nearly two hours. Among those involved was the newly crowned world champion of the small category, José Antonio Rueda, who encountered the almost stationary bike of Swiss rider Noah Dettwiler at the exit of turn 3. The Andalusian rider was unable to avoid it and collided at high speed, leaving both riders lying on the asphalt.

The severity of the situation was immediately understood, and the red flag was shown, cancelling the start protocol while the two riders were attended to on the track. Although it was quickly indicated on a sign that both riders were conscious, this was the last official information regarding their health status. They were then taken to the medical centre at the Sepang circuit and subsequently airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital.

Due to the absence of the mandatory rapid evacuation vehicle on the track, the activity was halted until the helicopter returned to the circuit. The Moto3 race was delayed by almost two hours and reduced to ten laps. The MotoGP race remained scheduled for 8 AM local time, but the Moto2 race was postponed to 9:30 AM, making it the last event of this accident-marred Malaysian GP programme.