WSBK Italy: Laverty unharmed in fiery crash at Imola

Eugene Laverty says he is feeling okay and been given the all clear by the World Superbike medics after his fall in race one at Imola
Eugene Laverty, Imola WSBK 2017
Eugene Laverty, Imola WSBK 2017
© Gold and Goose

Click 🧔here for full WorldSBK race one results from Imola

Eugene Laverty says he is feeliܫng okay and been given the all clear by the World Superbike medical team after his scary fall which caused the red flag stop๊page of race one at Imola.

On lap 13 Milwaukee Aprilia's L🤡averty and Alex Lowes on the Pata Yamaha collided in the run down to the Rivazza double left-hander which broke the brake lines on Laverty's bike.

Travelling at approximately 160mph Laverty made an instant decision to jump off his RSV4 which sl♛ammed into the crash barr𝕴iers and caught fire but the Northern Irish rider avoided serious injury in his tumble through the gravel trap.

ꦫLaverty was immediately taken to the medical centre at Imola but having avoided injury he was allowed to leave and is ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚexpected to be given the all-clear to ride in Sunday's race two.

Laverty has confirmed he's okay aside from a few bumps and knocks rolling through the gravel trap at high speed but was plainly disappo🍒inted to miss out in the race.

"I'm okay, when I got off the bike I tumbled a little bit but my body is okay," Laverty said. "Out of the right-hand ki💮nk before Rivazza Alex came up the inside of me and took the line away. I tried to brake but he was running a little bit wide which is something you shouldn't really be doing there. I had nowhere to go.

"It hooked my brake lines and pulled the brakes off so I ꦰhad no brakes. I tried to pump them a few times butꦕ I had to get out of there.

"It isn't pretty tumbling t༺hrough the gravel trap there towards the wall so I was lucky to gꦯet away with it."

The incident was investigated by race direction but neither rider was penalised for the collision. The red flag saw Chaz Davies claim victory on 𒁏the countback to the end of lap 12 with Jonathan Rea second and Marco Melandri third.

Read More