The death of Spanish motorcyclist Carles Falcón, who suffered an accident on Sunday, January 7, during the second stage, shook the Dakar camp located in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia, while the pilots promised to run the ninth stage “in his honor”
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The career was frustrated but not the dream. This Monday, January 15, the Spanish pilot Carles Falcón died, eight days after the fall suffered in the second stage of a test and as a result of the neurological damage derived from cardiorespiratory arrest during the accident, according to the team. TwinTrail Racing it's a statement.
The Catalan athlete experienced cerebral edema and a fracture in the C2 vertebra during the incident, in addition to fractures in five ribs, the left wrist and the clavicle. Despite medical attempts, his health did not improve.
“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 Instagram.
On January 12, Falcón was transferred to Spain in an ambulance plane and remained admitted to the intensive care unit of an unspecified hospital.
The accident occurred at kilometer 448 of the 461-kilometer special, which occurred at 7:20 am in Al Hanakiyah. Another competitor alerted the emergency services who helped him about 16 minutes later.
Mourning in Dakar
In Spain, several institutions and athletes sent their condolences to the family and friends, including the Royal Family, who said they were “dismayed after learning the worst news that could reach us since the Dakar.”
For its part, the Higher Sports Council sent its “deepest condolences to the family and friends of the Spanish driver Carles Falcón”, something that the Spanish Carlos Sainz, Audi, current leader of the Dakar, also did.
David Castera, director of the Dakar, assured that “sadness” reigned in his organization.
The driver Javi Vega, one of the Spaniards participating in the Original by Motul category, declared: “It has been shorter than we thought”, and added that it is very hard, “especially when it touches someone so close.”
The motorcyclist recalled that “accidents happen”, especially in the rally raid, which is “the least technical off-road sport, because it is the easiest to do, but without a doubt the most dangerous.”
74 people have lost their lives in the 46 editions of the rally
The darkest moments of the Dakar date back to 1986, marked by the tragic loss of seven lives, including the event's central figure, Thierry Sabine. 1988 was also etched in memory, with six lives lost, while the editions in Saudi Arabia have not been free of sadness with the unfortunate loss of participants.
The list of those who did not return from the Dakar includes two other Spaniards who lost their lives in the history of the competition: Tomás Urpí, who followed some stages in 1996, and the pilot José Manuel Pérez, “El Carni”, who died tragically due to an accident in 2005.
In 2014, Belgian motorcycle racer Eric Palante died in the fifth stage. The following year, during the third stage, the Polish pilot Michal Hernik died in the Cuesta del Miranda, province of La Rioja. In 2020, Portuguese driver Paulo Gonçalves lost his life in the seventh stage, and days later, Dutch driver Edwin Straver died in his country due to injuries suffered on the penultimate day.
The accidents continued in 2021 with the death of French driver Pierre Cherpin, who succumbed to head trauma days after the seventh stage. In 2022, Quentin Lavalée, chief mechanic of the PH Spot team, lost his life in a traffic accident during a link in the last stage.
A dream come true
A few years ago, Falcón put aside his career as a computer engineer to immerse himself in motorcycle racing. Together with his friend Isaac Feliu, he shared the Dakar journey in 2022, after promoting the TwinTrail Racing Team. This team found financial backing thanks to the support of its followers on social networks.
“Carles was a smiling person, always active, who passionately enjoyed everything he did, especially motorcycles. He has left us doing something that was his dream, racing the Dakar,” commented the team.
With EFE and Reuters
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