Racing on stage eight of the Dakar Rally has been overshadowed by the news that Spanish motorcyclist Carles Falcon, who crashed last week, has died.
Falcon, 45, had been in an induced coma since he was flown to hospital with severe injuries from a fall during the second stage in Saudi Arabia on January 7.
Race director David Castera told reporters at the time that the rider, who was competing in the endurance event for the second time, had lacked a pulse but was resuscitated by the first doctor to arrive on the scene.
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“Carles has left us. The medical team has confirmed that the neurological damage caused by the cardiorespiratory arrest at the time of the accident is irreversible,” the TwinTrail Racing team said in a statement on social media on Monday.
“Carles was a smiling person, always active, who passionately enjoyed everything he did, especially motorbikes. He has left us doing something that was his dream, racing the Dakar.”
In a statement of their own, event organisers said: “It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Spanish rider Carles Falcon from his family”.
The athlete crashed his KTM bike just 15km from the end of the 463km second stage in the deserts of Saudi Arabia.
Found without a pulse, he was resuscitated by the first doctor to arrive on the scene via helicopter.
Falcon was flown to hospital and was stable but took a turn before then dying.
Falcon, from Tarragona, was competing in the unassisted bikers category. He is the 33rd competitor to die in the race, which began in 1978.
The news broke after the completion of stage eight, which was a one-two by the Argentinean Benavides brother, Kevin and Luciano. Australians Toby Price and Daniel Sanders came fifth and ninth respectively on the 458km stage from Al Duwadimi to Ha’il.
That left Price and Sanders sixth and seventh overall.
Price is 29 minutes, 10 seconds adrift of leader Ricky Brabec and Sanders 38:43. The American, one second ahead of Botswana’s Ross Branch at the start of Monday’s stage, is now 42 seconds clear.
In the car category, triple Dakar Rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr stretched his lead as Sebastien Loeb lost his way in the desert.
While Mattias Ekstrom won the stage in an Audi one-two with Stephane Peterhansel, team mate Sainz finished fourth to go nearly 25 minutes clear.
“I think there’s still a long way for me and there are long stages to come,” said the Spaniard, 61-year-old father of the Ferrari Formula One driver and namesake.
The rally finishes in Yanbu on Friday.
– With Reuters