The terrifying crash that interrupted MotoGP's Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang was triggered by a seemingly innocuous sequence of events through the first two corners.
Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo and KTM duo Jack Miller and Brad Binder were down on the ground coming out of Turn 2, but all of them were effectively passengers in the incident - one in which Miller's helmet was briefly caught on the rear tyre of Quartararo's M1.
What incited it all, in effect, was Enea Bastianini and Alex Marquez entering Turn 1 side by side.
🚦 GOOOOOOOOOO 🚦
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 3, 2024
They're side-by-side again AND THEY TOUCH! 💥#MalaysianGP 🇲🇾 | #TheRematch pic.twitter.com/F3LXn8sHcj
The onboard camera carried by Marc Marquez, right behind them in that moment, suggests there was either the smallest of touches between the two, or that the junior Marquez simply picked up the bike in avoidance.
But having let two bikes through as a result, he then tried to hug the outside kerb and prepare the next corner Turn 2, a very sharp left-hander following an already sharp right-hander.
As a result, Alex Marquez pinched off Quartararo's line but Binder, unlike Quartararo, didn't slow down and had nowhere to go, colliding with the Ducati and taking some apparent aero damage.
More problematic, though, was the fact he ended up taking his KTM upright and inadvertently going almost perpendicular to the corner - which meant a collision with Quartararo and Miller.
The stewards investigated the incident and ruled no further action, saying that the initial contact between Marquez and Binder came "as a consequence of converging lines" and believing that no rider "acted in an irregular manner".
The younger Marquez said of his role in the incident: "I mean, I was in the corner. Marc overtook me, I just followed the line and then I felt a contact and I have the leathers with all the front tyre [marks] of… I saw on TV it was Brad. he lost the fairing there, and he created that crash.
"I was in front and there was nothing I could do."
The aftermath
In addition to throwing Miller into Quartararo's rear tyre, the incident caused Binder to fly through the air - but the South African was first on his feet in the immediate aftermath.
While he was up, Quartararo was writhing on the ground in apparent pain, and Miller - very worryingly - didn't look to be moving at all.
Yet remarkably, all three avoided major injury - and Binder may have actually come off the worst.
"Luckily no one injured, everything is fine," said KTM team boss Francesco Guidotti - who also described the crash as a "racing incident".
"Jack went to the medical centre for a check, but he's fine, no pain anywhere. It was very bad to see but luckily no injuries.
"Brad tried to restart but the pain in the left shoulder didn't allow him to go. It wasn't safe for himself and for the others. He will go maybe tomorrow to check the shoulder, if the pain is still there. Let's see."
Quartararo was unhurt enough to have a strong ride to sixth after the restart, despite the fact he had been left saddled with a spare bike with an underpowered older engine, a slightly-worn rear tyre and a front tyre he didn't like.
Miller didn't restart, but was in good spirits - something made all the more remarkable by the fact that not only did he hit Quartararo's rear tyre, but he then had Joan Mir's Honda run over his legs.
"I just felt like someone hit me on the inside, felt a lock - it was the head of Jack. I didn't know how he was, I saw him in the paddock just before so I'm really happy for him to be fine because it was a really scary one," said Quartararo.
"Honestly I was very worried," said Mir.
"When I saw the ambulance, all the stuff, I was very worried, I didn't know how he [Miller] was - I ran over his legs.
"Now I went to his box and he's like 'no, I'm fine, I'm fine, nothing'.
"'And your leg?' - 'Yeah, I have a bruise here.' - 'Oh, f**k off, perfect!'"
