Jason Dupasquier, here at the French Grand Prix on May 16, 2021, died on May 30, 2021 the day after his accident during qualifying for the Italian GP. – David Vincent / AP / SIPA
Jason Dupasquier, injured Saturday in qualifying for the Moto3 Italian Grand Prix, died at the age of 19 on Sunday, the promoter of the World Motorcycle Sprint Championship said in a statement. “Despite the efforts of the circuit’s medical team and all those who subsequently took care of the Swiss driver, the hospital [Careggi, à Florence, où il avait été transporté] announced that Dupasquier unfortunately succumbed to his injuries, ”he said.
We’re deeply saddened to report the loss of Jason Dupasquier
On behalf of the entire MotoGP family, we send our love to his team, his family and loved ones
You will be sorely missed, Jason. Ride in peace pic.twitter.com/nZCzlmJsVi
– MotoGP ™ 🏁 (@MotoGP) May 30, 2021
Dupasquier had undergone overnight “thoracic surgery for a vascular lesion,” the hospital said. The young Swiss fell in the last moments of qualifying on Saturday. According to television footage showing only the end of his fall and statements from the other riders involved, Japanese Ayumu Sasaki and Spaniard Jeremy Alcoba, he was hit by at least one motorcycle, before sliding lifeless on the track.
After forty minutes of intervention by rescuers, the 19-year-old Swiss was transferred by medical helicopter to the trauma center of the Careggi hospital in Florence.
His team and Lüthi had withdrawn from the races
His Moto3 team, PrüstelGP, and his compatriot Thomas Lüthi, who plays in Moto2, had decided not to start the GP in their respective categories on Sunday. During the “warm up” on Sunday morning, several riders displayed messages of support for the Swiss, to whom Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) dedicated his pole position in MotoGP.
He started last year at this level
Son of motocross and Supermoto rider Philippe Dupasquier, Jason, who wears the N.50, made his World Cup debut in 2020 under the colors of the German team PrüstelGP, which races KTMs. He had not scored any points and was ranked 28th for his first season. In 2021, after five starts, he was 10th in the drivers’ standings with 27 units.