MotoGP rider Pol Espargaro suffered several serious injuries, including back and chest trauma, in a horrific crash at the Portuguese Grand Prix on Friday.<br /><br />The 31-year-old was flicked from his KTM bike in the closing stages of FP2 after losing control on the straight before turning 10.<br /><br />He then slid across the track at high speed before violently bouncing through the gravel trap and crashing into the barrier.<br /><br />Following the shocking scenes, the practice session was immediately red-flagged and Espargaro was tended to by trackside medics.<br /><br />After almost 30 minutes of treatment, the GasGas Factory rider was loaded into the back of an ambulance before being airlifted to a local hospital in Faro.<br /><br />MotoGP later confirmed that Espargaro had suffered a pulmonary contusion, jaw fracture, and a fractured dorsal vertebra...A doctor also revealed that despite the horrific nature of his injuries, Espargaro did not lose consciousness at any stage.<br /><br />Dr. Angel Charte said: "He has had a high-energy fall with a large polytraumatic contusion at the level of the entire dorsal, lumbar, and sacral spine.<br /><br />"We'll have to see what the extent is once tests are done at the hospital in Faro.<br /><br />"Cervically, he is perfectly fine. Neurologically, he is fine, he has not lost consciousness at any time.<br /><br />"We have not had to intubate him at any time and he has saturated well, but he indeed has a strong pulmonary contusion.<br /><br />"He is conscious and oriented, a little sedated, but the neurological examination is perfectly normal."<br /><br />Some MotoGP riders have since called for action to be taken to protect those involved in the sport.<br /><br />VR46 Ducati rider Luca Marini said: "Sincerely, the crash was very particular.<br /><br />"But in the conditions of today, it was possible. Because also, I felt it.<br /><br />"If you use too much rear brake on the uphill, you feel the rear slide, because there is no grip on the track.<br /><br />"But every year is the same. In this track, we need another [type of] gravel. But the track doesn’t change it."
