By CNN
—
A nine-year-old motorcycle rider from Argentina has died after crashing during a practice session at the Interlagos Circuit in São Paulo, Brazil.
Lorenzo Somaschini was participating in the first free practice session of the Jr Cup on Friday when he had a fall and was immediately treated by medics at the scene, race organizer SuperBike Brasil said in a statement.
According to the organizers, Somaschini’s condition initially stabilized when he was taken to the emergency room at the racetrack before being transported to the Hospital Geral de Pedreira and then the Albert Einstein Hospital.
However, after being treated in intensive care, he died on Monday at 7:43 p.m. local time.
“The whole SuperBike Brasil team is saddened by the event and expresses its sincere condolences to all of Lorenzo’s family and friends,” said SuperBike Brasil.
The crash occurred at Pinheirinho, the slowest corner of the famous Formula One circuit, when Somaschini was traveling at only 25 miles per hour (40 kilometers per hour), according to his instructor Diego Pierluigi.
“The fall was very slow, but Lolo hit his head on the very bottom of the helmet, in a position that caused inflammation at the base of his skull,” said Pierluigi, per Reuters.
Somaschini, known as “Lolo,” rode under the number 99 as a tribute to his idol, Spain’s three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo.
“My heart breaks because also I was his idol and he wore my number,” Lorenzo wrote on Instagram Stories.
“Unfortunately, motorcycles can give us everything, but they can also take everything away. At any moment… A very strong hug to his family. RIP ‘Lolo.’”
CNN’s Patrick Sung Cuadrado contributed to reporting.
