Noah Dettwiler, Rejected Three Times by CIV Doctors: Cleared at Vallelunga and Scores His First Point Since Sepang

Noah Dettwiler is back racing. The young Swiss rider, almost a year after the terrible crash at Sepang, received medical clearance and finished Race 1 of the CIV Supersport at Vallelunga in fifteenth place, earning his first point.

A result that means more than anything when you consider how his last competitive appearance had ended. During the warm-up lap for the Malaysian Grand Prix in the Moto3 World Championship, the former Rookies Cup rider was proceeding slowly along the edge of the track because of technical problems when he was hit at extremely high speed by Jose Antonio Rueda, then the newly crowned World Champion in the class. Thrown into the air, Dettwiler suffered an open fracture to his left leg and extremely serious internal injuries, to the point that he had to be resuscitated.

The green light for the grand finale of the 2026 CIV Supersport season at Vallelunga came on the fourth attempt. At the previous rounds, the medical reports issued in Switzerland had not been sufficient for the race doctors. At the Campagnano di Roma circuit, Noah Dettwiler’s “public” debut on the Kuja Racing team’s Ducati Panigale V2 was encouraging: sixth in the wet in the first qualifying session and eleventh in Q2, held in mixed conditions. In a Race 1 that handed the title to Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Promodriver), with Niccolò Antonelli (Team AltoGo) taking the top step of the podium, the 2005-born rider finished just outside the points in a fierce battle with Kevin Sabatucci, who had been called up by Team Vieri Racing to replace the injured Andrea Campaci.

“It was incredible after almost a year,” Noah Dettwiler said while waiting for Race 2, scheduled for later that afternoon. “With the Ducati, I had never been able to practise a dry start, and I had never used Dunlop tyres: in all the tests I had ridden on Pirellis, the tyres used in the World Championship. Despite this, Friday morning’s clearance was the biggest victory of my career. Now we can look ahead with more optimism, and we no longer have to worry about the medical check-up”.

The Swiss rider credits the Malaysian doctors for his recovery. “They had already treated me superbly at the track, and the operations at the hospital ultimately saved my life too. In Switzerland, the doctors only had to deal with my leg. I still have a metal plate, and it will remain there for at least six months. I can feel it; this injury has not yet fully healed. I went through a very difficult period and had to make important decisions about my future. Without my family, my sister, my manager Daniele Camuso and everyone around me, I would hardly have made it through”.