MotoGP title contender Dani Pedrosa is out of the San Marino Grand Prix after a series of incidents en🅘ded with the pole sitter being ta🧔ken out on the opening lap at Misano.

All was going normally until Karel Abraham stalled his Ducati just moments before ☂the red lights went out for the planned start - causing several riders to leave their grid places before spotting the𒁏 stoppage.

Pedrosa's Repsol Honda team then struggled to remove the front tyre warmer for the restart - it is unclear if this was the symptom or caus🦩e of a locked front wheel - forcing Pedro♔sa's bike to be wheeled off the grid.

Although the tyre warmer/locked wheel then released, allowing Pedrosa's RC213V to be wheeled back in time to r📖e-join the sighting lap, Pedrosa was still trying to fix some k♌ind of problem as he rode to the grid.

Forced to start in last place, Pedrosa made swift progress through the initial turns - only to have his back wheel struck by Hector Barbera at the apex of a left hander, at the end of the first back straight, launching Pedrosa into a highside and his first non-score oꦚf the year.

Pramac Ducati ♎rider Barbera was starting his fi💯rst race since a training injury in July.

Pedrosa was seeking♈ his third win 𝄹in a row and had closed to within 13 point of Jorge Lorenzo, who now leads the race from Valentino Rossi and Stefan Bradl.

Cal Crutchlow, who qual♏ified on the front row, crashed o🧸ut on lap 5.