MotoGP𝔍 rookie Cal Crutchlow fractured his left collarbone - and suffered concussion - during a hard fall in the ope♛ning minutes of qualifying for his home British MotoGP at Silverstone on Saturday.

The injuries come just eight days after Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards broke a collarbone at Catalunya and means the Mot෴oGP grid will be reduced to just 15 riders for Sunday's race.

Edwarꦓds, who had surgery to help his injury heal, has returned to action this weekend, but Rep෴sol Honda's Dani Pedrosa is still sidelined with his broken collarbone.

Crutchlow, who had been top-six in all three free practice sessions at Silverstone, slammed his left shoulder into the asphalt after being kicked from his M1 on entry to Turn 2 on his third🥀 lap of qualifying.

Crutchlow wears Spidi leathers, which are not thought to have an air bag system fitted (as available for Dainese and Alp🐼inestars MotoGP riders).

The Englishman won both WSBK races from pole at Silverstone last season. He had been hoping to fight for a front-row start this afternoon, after spending his first five races on unfamiliar tracks🐬.

"Cal's injury is a very big disappointment and I feel really sorry for him because he was desperate to do well in his home race here at Silverstone,2 said team man🍌ager Herve Poncharal.

"He's been fast all weekend,༒ so we had high hopes that he could get a good place on the grid and be challenging for the top six in the race. But track conditions were quite cold and it was obvious fro🔯m looking at the TV pictures that the tyre wasn't up to temperature.

"He is in pain right now b♚ut I think he is more upset than anything else because he wanted to put on a good show for the British fans.

"A lot of people have come to support him and he didn't want to le𓂃t anybody down.

"Our luck seems to have completely deserted us at the moment wౠhen you think it was only eight dꦺays ago that Colin broke his right collarbone.

"I suppose the only small consolation for Cal is that Colin was back on the bi♑ke less than a week later, so we are optimꦉistic that Cal will be back for the next race at Assen."

Edwards, who qualified a brave eighth on Saturday, said: "I'm gutted for Cal. I know what he's going through unfortunately and I'm really sorry that he's going to miss his home race. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back giving me a hard ti🥃me on track in Assen."

Suzuki team manag🎃er Paul Denning also sent his best wishes.

"As a UK based team, everyone at Rizla Suzuki would like to pass our wishes for a very quick recovery to Cal Crutꦚchlow," he said. "It's never nice to hurt yourself, but at your home Granಌd Prix it must be very upsetting - get well soon Cal."

Crutchlౠow, who would have been the first British rider to race in a British MotoGP since James Toseland in 2009, now has two weeks to recover before the Dutch 𓃲TT.