Miguel Oliveira Suffers Huge Crash In Indonesian MotoGP FP1 Leaving Him Out Of Weekend

Saajan Jogia | Sep 27, 2024

Apr 14, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Miguel Oliveira (88) of Portugal and Trackhouse Racing before the MotoGP Grand Prix of The Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Miguel Oliveira was involved in a huge highside crash in the opening practice of the 2024 Indonesian MotoGP. He has been taken to a local hospital after suffering a fractured right wrist, which means that the injury rules him out for the remainder of the weekend and casts serious doubt over his participation in next weekend's Japanese MotoGP.

A dusty section of the Turn 3-4 double left could have led to the incident. However, Oliveira was the sole rider to crash during this morning's session in MotoGP, although several other riders from Moto2 and Moto3 faced difficulties.

Following the violent crash that sent the Portuguese rider tumbling down the track, Oliveira came to a stop, sitting upright on the outside kerbing. He was subsequently placed on a stretcher by marshals and transported to the medical center for evaluation.

Oliveira secured victory in the inaugural race at the Mandalika International Circuit in 2022. However, his chances of delivering a strong performance on his Trackhouse Racing Aprilia MotoGP bike are effectively nonexistent due to his fracture. Meanwhile, teammate Raul Fernandez finished 20th in FP1, while Maverick Vinales emerged as the top-performing Aprilia rider, claiming second place.

Speaking on the incident, Trackhouse Racing said in a statement:

"Miguel suffered a fracture of the right wrist. He is undergoing a three-dimensional CT scan in the hospital in Mataram to evaluate the need for surgery. As soon as we can, we will provide more information."

Oliveira is entering his sixth year in the MotoGP class and his fourteenth year in the paddock. He will be joining the Prima Pramac Yamaha Factory Team for the 2025-26 MotoGP seasons, a deal that was officially announced earlier this month. Speaking about the switch to Yamaha, he said in a statement:

"It's a great privilege for me to represent such an iconic brand in our sport as Yamaha. Through my years of progression and arriving in MotoGP, I've always looked upon the blue bikes with great enthusiasm. 

"It's now a reality, and I want to thank Yamaha Motor Company for its commitment to me in such an important transition phase of the project. Mr. Lin Jarvis was a key figure in starting discussions and making this happen. I believe I can be useful in this transition period of bringing the bike back to the top.

"I want to thank Mr. Campinoti, Gino Borsoi, and all the Pramac staff for embarking on this journey together. I can't be happier and more excited to get this new chapter started."

Yamaha Motor Racing managing director, Lin Jarvis added:

"We are pleased to announce that a professional and experienced rider like Miguel Oliveira is joining the Yamaha line-up for 2025-26, and we bid him a warm welcome to the Yamaha MotoGP Project.

"Miguel is a rider who has the technical know-how, experience, speed, and precision needed to improve the performance of the Yamaha YZR-M1. We are really looking forward to working with him as a key member of the Yamaha MotoGP project, and he can count on our full support."