Valencia MotoGP: Chaz Davies undergoing hospital treatment in Valencia

Chaz Davies has been taken to a Valencia hospital for precautionary checks after he suffered a massive high-side crash in this morning’s opening free practice session.

The British rider crashed with four minutes of the session remaining and landed heavily on the track before coming to a rest in the gravel trap.

Chaz Davies did climb to his feet but instantly struggled to put any weight on his right foot.

He hobbled away for a few metres unaided but then stopped suddenly and needed to be helped out of the gravel trap by two marshals before he was rushed to the circuit’s medical centre.

He underwent X-rays which revealed no broken bones in his left hand and right foot, which took the brunt of his crash, but he was complaining about pain in his lower back.

Doctors decided to send him to hospital in Valencia for precautionary scans on his back, though it is not clear yet what caused the accident.

A D’Antin team spokesman told MCN: “He smacked his left hand quite hard on the tarmac but there are no broken bones.

“His right foot is fine too, but he was complaining about quite a lot of pain in his back and he has been taken to hospital as a precaution.”

It is not clear yet whether the crash threatens Chaz Davies’ participation in the season’s final race on Sunday, in what was the last of his replacement appearances for the Spanish-based team.

Further updates to follow later.

• Check out next week’s MCN (November 7, 2007) for the biggest new motorcycle issues featuring 23 new bikes