Alex de Angelis on Monday remained in "critical condition" but showed signs of making a partial recovery after a practice crash caused bleeding inside his brain on the eve of the Japan Grand Prix at the weekend, organisers said.

The San Marino rider has been sedated in the intensive care unit of Dokkyo Medical University Hospital following the crash in the fourth free practice session in Motegi on Saturday.

De Angelis, 31, had a head and chest CT scan on Monday, which reassuringly showed that the intracranial hematoma he suffered was unchanged, MotoGP said in a statement on its website.

Also, "the contusions to his lungs are slightly resolving," it said.

"The rider remains in a critical condition but as his sedation was reduced, he was able to talk and oriented in time and space," it added.

He is scheduled to undergo a further head CT scan in a few days to ensure the intracranial hematoma is stable while the conditions of the lungs will need further evaluation, it said.

De Angelis, 31, also fractured five vertebrae and two ribs, while suffering a slight fracture of the sternum and the left collarbone, according to his team, Team e-motion Iodaracing.

De Angelis was unconscious briefly after the crash but came to before he was taken by helicopter from the circuit to the nearby hospital.

Source :AFP