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Ducati’s MotoGP champion Marc Marquez suffered a collarbone injury as a result of a collision with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi on the opening lap of the Indonesian Grand Prix Sunday, his team said.Bezzecchi collided with the rear of Marquez’s Ducati and the pair both hurtled into the gravel at high speed, with Marquez appearing to be in significant discomfort after tumbling head over heels.The Spaniard, who won his seventh MotoGP championship at last week’s Japanese Grand Prix, was hunched over on the side of the track for a couple of minutes before staggering to his feet and lurching away while clutching his shoulder.EVIDENCE OF FRACTUREMarquez was later seen with his arm in a sling, with members of Ducati team saying on the race’s broadcast that there was evidence of a fracture after initial scans.“As a result of today’s crash at Indonesian GP, Marc Marquez has suffered an injury to his right collarbone,” Ducati said in a statement on social media.“The Spanish rider will travel tonight to Madrid (Spain) for further medical tests and to decide on the treatment to follow.”The injury was on the shoulder of the arm Marquez fractured in the 2020 July season-opening Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez, which ruled him out for an extended period and required several surgeries.“Not the best way to celebrate the championship,” Marquez told reporters after the race.“In the end, Marco Bezzecchi already came to me and said sorry. This happens. It’s something that sometimes I will do, sometimes somebody else will do, but it was not on purpose. So, Marco accepts it was his fault.“We will fly to Madrid and try to understand with the doctors exactly what is wrong and try to come back as soon as possible.”BEZZECCHI ESCAPES MAJOR INJURYAprilia said Bezzecchi was taken to hospital to undergo a more comprehensive examination following the crash where he was given the all-clear.“After the medical examinations, no fractures have been found for Marco Bezzecchi,” Aprilia said in a statement.Marquez’s Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, Joan Mir (Honda HRC) and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) also crashed out of Sunday’s race, won by Gresini Racing rookie Fermin Aldeguer.Ducati-Gresini rider Aldeguer pulled away and cruised to a maiden victory.Aldeguer finished more than six seconds ahead of KTM’s Pedro Acosta in second and nearly eight seconds in front of teammate Alex Marquez in third.“I don’t believe it. I am super happy. To be a rookie, we are doing incredible work. We have to continue like this,” said Aldeguer, 20, who secured his first MotoGP win Sunday.While Marquez can afford to miss the last four rounds of the season having already sealed the title, Bezzecchi still has the opportunity to finish third overall ahead of Francesco Bagnaia and possibly fight with Alex Marquez for second.Alex sits on 362 points while Bagnaia (274) is third, just 20 points ahead of Bezzecchi in the standings.The next race is the Australian Grand Prix in two weeks.

Ducati's Marc Marquez clinched his seventh MotoGP championship at the Japanese Grand Prix Sunday and his first since 2019 after he took an unassailable lead in the world championship with five rounds to spare.Marquez needed to outscore his brother and title contender Alex of Gresini Racing by three or more points by the end of the weekend, and finished second behind his teammate Francesco Bagnaia in Sunday's race to clinch the title.Honda's Joan Mir was third, while Alex finished sixth, giving Marc a 201-point lead over his brother. Alex was the first to approach Marc and congratulate him, giving him a warm embrace when they came to a stop.Marc had his head in his hands after he crossed the line and when the magnitude of the accomplishment hit him, the Spaniard let out a scream.Marquez then came to a stop in front of a big screen and, with tears in his eyes, watched a montage of his struggles over the past six years, which included more than 100 crashes and four operations, as he reclaimed the title after 2,184 days.The coronation was complete when he added his name etched on a silver plaque to the cylindrical MotoGP trophy known as the 'Tower of Champions'."It's impossible even to speak... I just want to enjoy the moment, but it's true that it was difficult, it was super difficult, but now I'm at peace with myself," Marquez said as he fought back tears."I did a big mistake in my career, to come back too early (from surgery) and then I fight, fight, fight - and I won again! So I'm at peace."Ducati's pole sitter and Saturday's sprint winnerBagnaia had a strong start and two laps later he was more than a second clear of KTM's Pedro Acosta while Marquez slotted in behind his Spanish compatriot in third place.By lap seven, Bagnaia was comfortably in control in the lead but Marquez seemed to be struggling to match Acosta's pace, giving Mir the opportunity to close in and challenge him for third place.Marquez eventually found a way past Acosta when he tucked into his slipstream and overtook him on lap 11, but he was staring at a gap of four seconds to his teammate Bagnaia, who was streaking away to his second victory of the season.With 11 laps left, Acosta was clearly struggling for grip and Mir pounced to move up to third as the 2020 champion chased a rare podium finish having retired from 10 races this season.The Ducati paddock had a few heart-stopping moments in the second half of the race when Bagnaia's bike began emitting smoke as Marquez began to close in rapidly, but the Italian was eventually able to nurse his bike to the chequered flag."I don't want to take the spotlight from Marc, he deserves the spotlight today," said Bagnaia, who has been MotoGP champion twice."But in any case, I'm happy. It's just a little shame that it arrived now (so late in the season)... I hope that from now on I will continue in this way, because like this I can fight."