The images are chilling. This Sunday, Noah Dettwiler (20 years old) was the victim of an impressive accident before the Malaysian Moto 3 Grand Prix. While the drivers were doing their warm-up lap, the Solothurn was hit from behind by the Spaniard José Antonio Rueda, and violently thrown from his mount.
Noah Dettwiler was driving at low speed at the time of the collision, without knowing why. José Antonio Rueda – crowned world champion in the category at the beginning of the month – seems to have been taken by surprise and was unable to deviate from his trajectory. He was also propelled off the track.
The race management immediately interrupted the ballet of the motorcycles in order to provide first aid to the unfortunate people. The latter were subsequently transported to hospital, delaying the start of the Grand Prix by almost two hours.
“They fought for his life”
José Antonio Rueda, informs his Red Bull KTM Ajo team, “suffers from a broken hand” and a “big concussion”, but he is “awake and conscious”. “He remains under observation, pending additional examinations on his hand and arm,” she adds.
As for Noah Dettwiler, he is now in a stable condition, his father told “Blick”. However, concerns remain after he suffered several cardiac arrests and lost a lot of blood. Affected in the spleen and lungs, he also has an open fracture in his leg. “They fought for his life,” reports Andy Dettwiler, on his way to Malaysia with his wife Nicole.
In the process, the CIP Green Power team declared via an Instagram post that its driver “will have to undergo several surgical interventions” and that “he is in good hands”.
Already hit the day before
The day before, during qualifying, Noah Dettwiler had already been hit for the first time from behind by one of his competitors, at the start of the session. If, unlike his rival, the Swiss avoided the fall, he was not able to climb to the forefront, finishing 25th out of 26 participants. “Following this incident, Noah heard a noise and felt vibrations,” said his team leader. After qualifying, we checked the bike and found that one of the chain sliders had broken following the impact.
Noah Dettwiler has been competing in Moto3 since 2023 with, as his best result, a 14th place. He currently defends the colors of the CIP Green Power team. This season, after 20 Grands Prix out of 22, he occupies 32nd place – out of 41 – in the general classification.
