Moto3 rider Noah Dettwiler suffered ‘multiple’ cardiac arrests following a horrific crash on Sunday, according to his father. The terrifying incident occurred during a sighting lap on the day of the Malaysian Grand Prix. World champion Jose Antonio Rueda was also involved in the collision, with both riders being airlifted to hospital.
Rueda, 19, was navigating the circuit’s third corner when he came across Dettwiler moving slowly, likely due to a mechanical problem with his bike. The former had no time to avoid a high-speed collision, ramming into the back of Dettwiler’s vehicle. Footage showed the two bikes coming apart upon impact with both riders being violently thrown from their saddles.
Dettwiler, 20, was seen lying motionless on the circuit as ambulances and medical teams rushed to provide emergency treatment. Both riders were flown to hospital in distressing scenes that sparked an outpouring of support from the motorsport community.
An update on Dettwiler’s condition was provided by his father, Andy, who told Blick that his son suffered ‘multiple’ cardiac arrests in hospital. He also had injuries to his internal organs in addition to an open fracture in his leg and underwent several surgeries.
“They fought for his life,” said Andy, who also confirmed that his son lost ‘a lot of blood’ in the horrifying incident.
An earlier statement provided by Dettwiler’s team read: “This morning, during the sighting lap at Sepang, our rider Noah Dettwiler was involved in a serious accident.
“He was taken to the hospital in Kuala Lumpur and will need to undergo multiple surgeries. He is in good hands and we kindly ask you to respect his privacy. We will not be sharing further details at this time.
“Noah is a true fighter and the entire CIP Green Power team is right behind him. We will keep you updated as soon as possible.”
Rueda, meanwhile, escaped from the collision with only a fractured hand. His team said that he was ‘awake and alert’ in hospital just hours after the incident.
They added: “It was determined that Rueda did not suffer serious injuries to his head or torso, although he did suffer a severe concussion from the impact. He remains under observation, awaiting further tests on his hand and arm.”
Alex Marquez, the MotoGP rider who eventually won the Malaysian Grand Prix, dedicated his victory to the two injuries riders.
“My prayers and thoughts are with the guys,” he said. “Still in my stomach I have some stressed feeling, so just keep fingers crossed for them.”
