Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Motorsports venues deploy many precautionary measures designed to not only promote the safety of competitors but also the people who gather to watch them. However, one racetrack in Hungary might need to reevaluate its fencing after a cameraman was nearly drilled by a motorcycle that went airborne during a MotoGP qualifier.
There are plenty of things that can go wrong at a sporting event that features motor vehicles capable of traveling at hundreds of miles per hour, and the venues that host those races are designed to minimize the risk of injury to both athletes and spectators on the inevitable occasions where those fears become a reality.
Any reputable racetrack is going to be lined with fencing that prevents debris from sailing into the crowd, but there’s only so much to be done to prevent scary incidents from unfolding.
NASCAR has been hit with multiple lawsuits due to people who were injured after being struck by something that flew off the track (including two incidents at Daytona in 2013 and 2015), and in 2023, we almost witnessed a disaster at the Indianapolis 500 when a tire flew off a car and barely sailed over the grandstand before landing on a parked vehicle.
Now, we have another organization that might need to rethink its approach to safety thanks to what unfolded at a MotoGP event over the weekend.
A MotoGP camera was almost struck by a motorcycle that flew off the track after Pedro Acosta crashed during a qualifying run
Last week, MotoGP headed to Balaton Park in Hungary for its 14th Grand Prix of the current season, and on Saturday, the nearly two dozen racers who took part in the event firmed up their starting position in the second qualifying heat.
That included Pedro Acosta, the KTM rider who was hoping to start near the front of the pack but suffered a bit of a setback when he lost control while navigating a turn before his motorcycle skidded across a patch and gravel prior to catapulting toward a tower where a cameraman scrambled to evade the flying bike.
Our cameraman, Joao, avoiding @37_pedroacosta‘s bike impact is probably the most shocking video you’ll see today! 😮
We’re so glad to see he’s ok! 🙏#HungarianGP 🇭🇺 pic.twitter.com/o9SslLPDhT
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 23, 2025
The cameraman, who MotoGP identified simply as “Joao,” thankfully emerged entirely unscathed. However, it appears his camera did suffer some damage based on what he had to say to Acosta during a meeting where the man who ultimately earned a second-place finish gave him a signed kneepad after apologizing for his role in that scary moment.