We were all worried when we heard that Franco Morbidelli had crashed hard at Portimao. The team Prima Pramac rider was training aboard a production Ducati, sharing the track with the SBK riders. At a certain point, he crashed through Turn 9, the V4 S out of control and the rider on the ground. Initially attended to by the Marquez brothers, the Italo-Brazilian was taken to the circuit medical centre before being transported to nearby Faro hospital.

Fear for Morbidelli: fortunately Franco is out of danger

Crashing at Portimao makes for indelible memories. Franco went down at the Craig Jones corner, a 170 km/h swooping down-and-up left-hander that really puts a rider to the test.

On the ground for several moments, Morbidelli was initially attended to by the Marquez brothers as the track action was suspended. The red flag came out for the safety of the riders, with the Prima Pramac rider taken to the medical centre at the Circuito do Algarve.

Franco was then transported to Faro Hospital, fortunately located very close to the track that will host the second MotoGP event of 2024. #21 reached the podium in 2020, after finishing third with the Yamaha M1. The 29-year old is now writing a new career chapter with Ducati.