The 19-year-old died at a hospital in Florence on Sunday after a collision during Moto3 qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
ADVERTISEMENTSwiss motorcycle rider Jason Dupasquier has died in a hospital in Florence after a crash during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old Moto3 racer collided with Japanese rider Ayumi Sasaki and Spanish racer Jeremy Alcoba close to the end of a training session on Saturday.
He was treated on the track for about half an hour before being airlifted to Careggi Hospital in Florence, which confirmed his death on Sunday.
“Despite the best efforts of circuit medical staff and all those subsequently attending to the Swiss rider," MotoGP said in a statement, "the hospital has announced that Dupasquier has sadly succumbed to his injuries."
At the Mugello Circuit in Tuscany on Saturday, Dupasquier appeared to fall and was then hit by his own motorbike and that of Sasaki. A visibly shocked Alcoba later told TV reporters he thought he had also gone over the Swiss rider’s legs.
Dupasquier’s team, Prustel GP, did not take part in Sunday’s race, while his fellow Swiss rider Tom Luthi also pulled out of the Moto2 contest.
Dupasquier was in his second season in MotoGP’s lightweight class and was in the top 10 in the overall standings heading into the weekend.
The MotoGP grid staged a one-minute silence ahead of Sunday’s 23-lap race, which was won by French world championship leader Fabio Quartararo.
Following his victory, the 22-year-old Quartararo stopped at the scene of Dupasquier’s accident before pointing to the sky. He then waved a Swiss flag on the podium in Dupasquier’s honour.
“We got the win," he said after the race, "and that one was for Jason and his family.”