Spanish motorcyclist Carles Falcon has died from the serious injuries he suffered last week on the second stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, his team said Monday.
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“On Monday, January 15, Carles passed away. The medical team has confirmed that the neurological damage caused by the cardio-respiratory arrest at the time of the accident is irreversible,” the TwinTrail Racing Team said in a statement.
“Carles was a smiley person, always active, who enjoyed with passion everythign he did, especially motorcycles. He left us doing something that was his dream, racing the Dakar,” it added.
The high-speed stage over jagged rocks and winding sand dunes in the Saudi desert was almost complete on January 7 when the experienced off-road rider from Tarragona crashed.
The 45-year-old was immediately taken to hospital in Saudi Arabia in a medical helicopter, and later flown back to Spain where he had been in intensive care.
Twin Trail Racing said at the time that Falcon, a computer engineer by training, had suffered a fracture of his vertebrae.
The Dakar Rally is one of the world’s longest and most demanding endurance races and this year’s 8,000km long 12-stage marathon ends at the Red Sea on January 19.