Valentino Rossi fumes after escaping horror crash

World motorcycling superstar Valentino Rossi said a rival's stray bike, travelling at around 300 km/h (187mph), almost "killed me" in a horrifying near-miss at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The 41-year-old Italian, a nine-time world champion, was left badly shaken after Franco Morbidelli's Yamaha flew across the track just centimetres in front of him.

Morbidelli and the Ducati of Johann Zarco had collided just seconds before the riders slipped through turn four at Spielberg on lap eight of the race. Both men were unseated.

Zarco's free-wheeling Ducati also came desperately close to hitting Rossi as well as his Yamaha factory teammate Maverick Vinales who was just ahead of him.

"Morbidelli's bike nearly killed me," fumed Rossi. "Even Zarco's Ducati passed a few metres over me, it was a very dangerous moment."
Incredibly, Rossi managed to compose himself and after the race was restarted came home in fifth place. 

"I was so scared. I am shaken, resuming the race was tough. I took the biggest risk of my career," Rossi told Sky Italia.

"I saw a shadow, I thought it was the helicopter from above, sometimes it happens during the race that the helicopter passes over and casts a shadow. Instead, two 'bullets' arrived.

"The saint of motorcyclists today did a really great job, it was a very dangerous thing."

Morbidelli, possibly a teammate of Rossi's next season at the Yamaha satellite team, did not mince his words.

'Like a murderer'

"Zarco is almost a murderer," Morbidelli told Sky Sport Italia. 

"Braking like this at 300 km/h means having little love for yourself or for those you are racing against.

"I hope this major incident makes Zarco think. It was really dangerous for me, him, for Rossi and Vinales who were up front and saw a bike coming at them at 280 per hour."