TOKYO: Italian MotoGP rider Luca Marini has suffered serious injuries, including a collapsed lung, after a heavy fall while testing for an endurance race in Japan. Marini was hospitalized after crashing at the Suzuka circuit on Wednesday, his Honda HRC team said. He was stabilized and will remain under observation in Japan until fit to travel.

The 27-year-old rider posted a picture on his Instagram feed of him lying in a hospital bed. “Thanks everyone for the support! I’ll keep you posted,” he wrote in Italian. Marini, who finished 15th in the British MotoGP at Silverstone on Sunday, was testing for the Suzuka 8-Hour. The annual endurance race, one of Japan’s biggest motorcycling events, is held at the Honda-owned home Suzuka circuit that also hosts the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix.

Marini completed the first day without incident but crashed heavily on the second, suffering a dislocated hip, knee ligament damage, fractures to his sternum and collarbone and a right collapsed lung. “Honda HRC and the Honda HRC Castrol team will support Marini fully in his recovery,” the team said in a statement. Marini is 13th in the 2025 MotoGP world championship standings after seven races. — AFP