MotoGP rider Maverick Viñales is lucky to be alive after the 25-year-old somehow had the wherewithal to jump off his bike entering a turn in the Austrian GP over the weekend.
MotoGP rider jumps off his bike at 210 km/h after brakes fail
This is terrifying.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Viñales was traveling at 210 km/h (roughly 130 mph) when he realized his brakes failed and was headed directly into the wall. With some space around him, Viñales fell off the side of his bike and trusted his suit would protect him better than any alternative option.
The rider unquestionably made the right call, as he skidded off the track in relative safety, while his bike plowed into the wall at full speed and burst into flames. It takes a tremendous amount of poise to see a situation with no good outcome, and have the guts to jump off a bike going that quickly.
Ultimately the only thing to really happen was a red flag after the bike deflated the protective air fence. Obviously the bike was trashed, but Viñales was fine in a situation that otherwise could have been so, so much worse.
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