UPDATE August 24, 2022:
Endurance World Championship (EWC) rider Gino Rea continues to make steady progress following a free practice session crash at the 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours. Doctors originally placed the FCC TSR Honda France rider in a medically-induced coma to manage his brain swelling and soaring temperature.
Those initial measures paid off, with Rea opening his eyes and moving his extremities just one week after the incident. However, medical staff continued to administer anesthesia in order to further support his recovery. Throughout the process, the Rea and Berdini families have updated the public via Rea's Instagram page. On August 16, 2022, the family deliver more good news, stating that Rea's "ventilator has been removed. He is now breathing on his own and beginning to communicate with family."
Just six days later, on Monday, August 22, 2022, the family released the best update yet, reporting that "The last few days have been remarkable for Gino's progress. Communication is improving and the neuro rehabilitation has started."
Of course, the endurance racer has a long road to recovery before him but we're ecstatic to see Rea returning to health after such a severe injury. No one is more happy than the Rea and Berdini families, though, and they graciously thanked those that helped the rider get back to this point.
"We would like to thank the hospital here in Mie, especially the doctors and nurses of the Intensive Care Unit," read the latest Instagram post caption. "We would also like to thank Suzuka Circuit for their help during this time."
UPDATE August 15, 2022:
August 13, 2022, marked one week since Endurance World Championship (EWC) officials transported British endurance motorcycle racer Gino Rea to a local Japanese hospital after a crash at the Suzuka Circuit. While many racing fans feared the worst in the days immediately following the incident, the rider's family provided several updates via Rea's Instagram profile on August 8 and August 11, 2022.
With a few more days of treatment and rest, it seems like the Rea's continues to improve. On August 13, 2022, the Rea and Berdini family took to Instagram yet again, delivering even more encouraging news on the rider's status.
"His condition in the morning was stable," read the Instagram post caption. "Once we reduced the dose of anesthesia medicine, he opened his eyes, and made eye contact in a very short term."
The statement also revealed that Rea "kicked his legs and moved his arms many times." However, the family also noted that doctors later "administered sedation" to aid Rea "with his recovery."
Doctors previously placed Rea in a medically-induced coma in order to reduce brain swelling and manage his temperature. Luckily, the move proved beneficial, with Rea showing signs of improvement. Hopefully, the latest round of anesthesia will keep Rea on his current trajectory. Of course, we will continue to update this story as we hear future updates on the FCC TSR Honda France rider's status.
Original story follows.
On Saturday, August 6, 2022, English motorcycle racer (of Italian descent) Gino Rea crashed during the second free practice session of the 2022 Suzuka 8 Hours. The incident occurred at the Suzuka Circuit's Casio Triangle, a chicane complex leading onto the home straight. On-site medical personnel administered trackside care to the FCC TSR Honda France rider, but his injuries soon warranted an airlift transport to a local hospital.
Sustaining serious head injuries in the crash, Rea remained in critical condition and in a medically-induced coma for days. In addition to the injury’s severity, the media couldn’t obtain medical updates on Rea’s condition. Following a post launched by Rea’s family on his Instagram page, we now know why the hospital officials remained reticent during that period.
“We couldn’t make a post earlier due to the Japanese culture, as they do not release any news to media without the direct contact with the family first,” the release statement reads. “We arrived in Japan on August 8 and 8pm with many thanks to the EWC, FIM, Suzuka Circuit, British Consulate, and TSR Racing Team for all the help in arranging emergency visas for us.”
When the family arrived, doctors kept Rea in a medically-induced coma in order to “reduce swelling on his brain, and to control his temperature”. However, the Rea family updated the rider’s fans via his Instagram page with a new post on Thursday, August 11, 2022.
“We would like to send a quick update in regards to Gino’s current condition,” reads the Instagram caption. “The results of the CT-Scan showed signs of recovery with reduced swelling. He is in a stable condition and recovering from the usual side effects from such a trauma. We are looking forward to a speedy recovery from him as we all know he is capable of it.”
While a long road to recovery awaits Rea, we hope he continues to heal at a steady pace. Luckily, with his family at his side, we can expect more regular updates as the Honda rider returns to health.
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Sources: MCN, Crash, Motorcycle Sports, Instagram, Motociclismo