Misano MotoGP: Marco Melandri escapes injury in massive Misano crash

Marco Melandri’s wretched run of luck has continued in Misano after he suffered a massive crash in this morning’s extended two-hour free practice session.

The Gresini Honda rider crashed at the second of three fast right-hand corners just 15-minutes into session when the rear tyre of his RC212V clipped a section of Astroturf on the edge of the track.

It was on his seventh lap and Melandri was viciously high-sided and his bike careered through the gravel trap before vaulting the tyre wall and then slamming into a safety fence in front of a largely empty grandstand.

It was the same place on the track where a bike landed in the grandstand during the World Superbike meeting in Misano earlier this season. The grandstand was undergoing completion then in time for the first MotoGP race in San Marino for 14 years.

Melandri was taken to the circuit’s medical centre for treatment after landing heavily on his back, but he was given the all-clear and returned to the track, though he missed well over an hour of crucial dry track time. He was third before his spectacular crash and eventually finished the session in 15th with a best time of 1.36.649. That was 1.935s behind Casey Stoner, who topped the timesheets with Melandri only completing a further 14 laps after the high-speed spill.

Melandri had been forced to withdraw from the Czech Republic GP in Brno when neck and shoulder injuries meant he lost all strength in his left arm.

He returned to action yesterday and clocked the fastest time in a rain-soaked session before torrential rain forced MotoGP bosses to abandon the afternoon schedule with parts of the circuit flooded.