Bad luck has crossed the path of Juan Cruz Yacopini. The Argentine pilot, 26, fights for his life after suffering … this Friday an unfortunate accident while bathing in a reservoir on the outskirts of the Argentine city of Mendoza. Yacopini remains hospitalized in critical condition, having arrived at the hospital following cardiorespiratory arrest.
Yacopini, new champion of the FIA Baja World Cup and driver of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team, was one of the candidates to be in the fight for the podium in the Dakar Rally that starts on January 3 in Saudi Arabia.
The pilot was sailing a boat with some friends in the El Carrizal reservoir (Mendoza) when he jumped into the water to cool off, with such bad luck that he did so in a shallow area and hit his head. The impact caused severe multiple trauma with spinal shock and, during his transfer to the hospital, he suffered cardiorespiratory arrest that forced the emergency services to perform resuscitation maneuvers. After being stabilized, he was admitted to the Perrupato Hospital and later transferred to the Cuyo Clinic, where he continues under intensive care and with a reserved prognosis.
A pilot in full maturity
The accident occurs at the best moment of his career. Just a few weeks ago, Yacopini took the stage at the FIA gala in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to receive the trophy that accredited him as champion of the Baja Cross-Country World Cup, a title that crowned a season of consistency and competitive maturity.
Together with his co-driver, the Spanish Daniel Oliveras, with whom he has been a duo since 2022, the Argentine had built a solid project within the structure of Toyota Gazoo Racing and the Overdrive team. In the last Dakar, his fifth participation, he finished seventh overall for the second consecutive year, a result that fueled the ambition to take another step in the edition that is about to begin in Saudi Arabia.
With five victories in eight events of the Bajas World Cup and a constant presence in the top 10 of the World Raid Rally Championship (W2RC), Yacopini had established himself as one of the leaders of a new generation that aspires to challenge the historical leadership of figures such as Carlos Sainz, Nasser Al-Attiyah or Stéphane Peterhansel.
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