Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Fortuna Yamaha rider Marco Melandri broke his right leg in a crash during practice Friday at the Japanese Grand Prix, the opening round of the 2003 FIM MotoGP World Championship season.

Melandri, the 2002 FIM 250cc Grand Prix World Champion, was on his ninth lap of practice Friday morning when he crashed his Yamaha YZR-M1 in the right-hand turn following Suzuka’s hairpin. The session was stopped for the crash, and Melandri was airlifted to a local hospital.

Sources in Japan are reporting that the 20-year-old Italian suffered double fractures of his lower right leg near the ankle, a break in his right femur and a broken nose.

Other riders who crashed Friday at Suzuka included Noriyuki Haga, Daijiro Kato, Randy De Puniet and Nicky Hayden.

These riders were reported as being uninjured by the MotoGP press office.