Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Marlboro Ducati’s Loris Capirossi collided with Suzuki’s John Hopkins in the first corner of the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi Twin-Ring September 19, causing both riders to crash and four other riders (Kenny Lee Roberts, Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden and Max Biaggi) to fall in a chain reaction pile-up.

Capirossi, Hopkins and Roberts were all injured in the incident. Roberts suffered burns, dislocated his left elbow and has already been ruled out of the next Grand Prix in Qatar. Hopkins suffered two broken ribs and a deep laceration and is questionable to race at Qatar. Capirossi suffered a concussion, two broken bones in his right foot but there has been no word on his fitness status with regards to the Qatar race, scheduled for October 1-3.

Most MotoGP team press releases blamed Capirossi for starting the incident, including Dorna’s own press release, which read, in part, “John Hopkins, who followed Valentino Rossi into the first corner in second place, was wiped out by Loris Capirossi.”

“I don’t know what happened, I just found myself on the ground,” Capirossi was quoted as saying in a press release issued by his team. “It was a pity, but that’s racing and these things can happen.”

At post time, there had been no mention of any disciplinary action being taken against Capirossi.

However, in the MotoGP race at Motegi in 2003, a very similar incident occurred resulting in a one-race rider suspension.

In that incident, Hopkins rammed into Carlos Checa, causing both riders and Troy Bayliss to crash and Colin Edwards and Marco Melandri to run off the track. Although Hopkins accepted full blame for what he called a mistake and apologized – publicly and personally – to the riders he affected, he was immediately suspended for one race by FIM officials, who deemed he had “ridden in an irresponsible manner causing danger to other riders.” In fact, Hopkins’ team protested the suspension and the penalty was upheld in an appeals hearing before the race day was over.

In that same 2003 race, Makoto Tamada was disqualified for riding “in an irresponsible manner causing danger to Spanish rider Sete Gibernau” and was disqualified from third place in that race.

Tamada won the 2004 race at Motegi.

Observers are waiting to see if FIM officials dispense a different brand of justice for European Capirossi in 2004 as opposed to American Hopkins and Japanese Tamada in 2003.