Spanish rider seriously injured in Dakar rally crash, Carlos Sainz leads cars

AL DUWADIMI – Spanish motorcycle rider Carles Falcon was flown to hospital with serious injuries, after he crashed near the end of the second stage of the Dakar Rally in the deserts of Saudi Arabia on Jan 7.

Race director David Castera said Falcon had lacked a pulse but was resuscitated by the first doctor to arrive on the scene.

Falcon, who made his Dakar debut in 2022, was nearing the second-stage finish line when he was involved in a bad accident.

“Immediately notified by another racer who was following him, the organisation dispatched a medical helicopter, which took care of the injured motorcyclist in a condition considered serious. He was airlifted to Al-Duwadimi hospital,” race organiser ASO said.

Falcon, riding for the TwinTrail Racing Team, was 76th after the opening stage on Jan 6. His team said he had suffered fractured vertebrae and was in a “serious condition”. He will undergo surgery in a Riyadh hospital.

French veteran Stephane Peterhansel took the 50th car stage win of his record-breaking Dakar career, as familiar names moved back into the reckoning and Spain's Carlos Sainz took over at the front for Audi.

Peterhansel, known as “Monsieur Dakar” after 14 overall victories on two and four wheels from 1991 to 2021, finished the stage from Al Henakiyah to Al Duwadimi 29 seconds clear of compatriot and nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.

The stage win was the 83rd of Peterhansel’s career across two- and four-wheeled categories and the Audi driver now shares the car record with Finnish great Ari Vatanen. The 58-year-old moved up to ninth overall.

Three-time Dakar winner Sainz, 61, was eighth fastest on the 463km stage. The former world rally champion is the father of Formula One driver Carlos Sainz Jr of Ferrari.

Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Al Rajhi slotted into second place overall in his Toyota, 1min 51sec behind the veteran Spaniard, with Loeb moving up from 19th to third with 4:17 to make up.

Defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar was fourth on the stage, ending up seventh overall and 12:16 off the lead.

“We pushed from the beginning, but after we broke the rear, we stopped for more than 10 minutes to repair,” said the five-time winner. “With all the problems yesterday and today we are still in the game, it’s only 12 minutes in the overall.”

Overnight leader Guillaume de Mevius dropped from first to fifth after having to go first on the road and losing nearly 27 minutes to Peterhansel. “A difficult day for us for sure,” said the Belgian.

“We started in front so, the first 200km was OK I think. And after 200, a little bit more, Carlos passed us when we got lost.

“Then we were in the dust of Carlos and then we got lost a second time and then we got a puncture and then everything after was more difficult.”

Botswana’s Ross Branch was 11th in the motorcycle stage but retained the overall lead on two wheels with Chile’s Jose Ignacio Cornejo 2:55 behind. American rider Mason Klein, third overnight, hit mechanical trouble and spent two hours on repairs. REUTERS, AFP