Amateur driver Carles Falcón is in serious condition after a fall in the second stage of the Dakar 2024 | Sports

The amateur driver Carles Falcón (Tarragona, 45 years old), who was participating in his second Dakar Rally, suffered a fall in the second stage of the rally and was transferred in serious condition to the Al Duwadimi hospital, located in the province of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. The motorcyclist was evacuated by medical helicopter after crashing at kilometer 448 of the 461-kilometer special that began at 7:20 a.m. local time in Al Hanakiyah. The impact occurred at 3:52 p.m. and another competitor was the one who immediately alerted the assistance. According to the first information, the runner suffers a head injury, the area of ​​his lungs is affected and he has suffered strong compression, in addition to possible fractures.

For now, the full report of Falcón, from the Twintrail Racing Team, is unknown, who in his previous participation in 2022 finished the race in 68th position, 16th in the original category (without technical assistance). The test organization has announced that in the next few hours it will share a more detailed report on the pilot’s status.

More information

David Castera, director of the Dakar, shared the first details of Falcón’s condition with the Spanish press who traveled to Saudi lands: “He fell at the end of the stage, at kilometer 448. We arrived with the doctor, he found him and it was complicated. because he had no pulse and had to be revived. He now has more adequate care. He is in the hospital, doing a check-up, with a scanner and everything to see what we are going to do.” The options that ASO handles now are whether to operate immediately or choose to stabilize his situation and transfer him to Riyadh. The pilot is now more stable, and according to the test organizer he has had a full head impact, which is what worries the doctors the most right now. The attention to Falcón arrived 16 minutes after the alert was received.

Falcón is one of the two drivers that make up this Catalan amateur team, which has already suffered firsthand the hardest part of the rally in its debut in 2022. Isaac Feliu, his teammate, then suffered a serious accident in the ninth stage and had than induce a coma. After a long recovery, the 46-year-old driver from Barcelona was once again trying to fulfill his dream, that of finishing the Dakar in 2024, but in the first stage he had to abandon due to mechanical problems.

The Twintrail team has financed part of the Dakar adventure thanks to the support of more than 800 followers who have decided to do their bit and round out the large budget required to compete in the rally: about 18,000 for registration; and 25,000 for the motorcycle, approximately, flights and trips apart. Both drivers share a YouTube channel where they transmit their passion for two wheels and, these days, their adventures in the race, showing inside life in the bivouac.

Surrounded by motorcycles since he was little, Falcón had his school in the world of motorcycling in the enduro and, as an adult, he discovered the world of trail motorcycles. With his BMW R1200GS he has made trips alone and with friends in Morocco, Scotland and the Alps, among other destinations. For a few years now he has entered the world of rally competition, encouraged in large part by Feliu.

His record includes a second and fifth place in the Hellas Rally in the M6 ​​and M5 category, in addition to a 40th place in the 2021 Andalusia Rally and a 33rd place in the Rally2 category in the Rallye du Maroc, the test that earned him the ticket for his first participation in the Dakar.

The two colleagues and friends met through TwinTrail, the company that Feliu founded after leaving his IT profession in 2015. Initially, the project began as an online store specializing in adventure motorcycle equipment and products, but now it already has a store physical and also doubles as a piloting school, travel agency and digital content creation.

You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on Facebook and Xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.

2024-01-07 16:25:05
#Amateur #driver #Carles #Falcón #condition #fall #stage #Dakar #Sports