Red Bull KTM’s Miguel Oliveira suffered a turn three highside at Spielberg during the opening day of the Austrian manufacturer’s home fortnight of MotoGP competition.
The Portuguese rider’s preparation for the StyrianGP was cut short after just 14 laps of Friday’s FP1 as a highside left the recently married 26-year-old sat on the side of the track for a considerable length of time before heading for the medical centre for checks. No fractures were discovered but the pain resulted in the team seeking further clarification before his participation in the rest of the weekend is confirmed.
“First of all, I’m disappointed and super-sorry for the start of the weekend,” Oliveira said from the Red Bull Ring.
“During the session my brake lever position ended-up being very close to the handlebar and I couldn’t stop the bike, so I came into the pits a few times to understand what was going on and to look for better performance.
“I went out again and ran a little bit wide in turn three. When I opened the gas off the racing line I had no traction control. I spun in the air and before I landed, I think I was hit on my hand by the handlebar. This is what hurt the most.
“We have been clearing any doubt about further damage to see if we can carry on and what we can do” he concluded.
Oliveira’s early performance, a 1’25.238, was enough to place him 15th in Friday’s overall times, 1.4s off the leading lap, after rain hit the afternoon session.
