Eight days after his crash during the second stage of the Dakar 2024, Catalan motorcyclist Carles Falcon has stopped living and the historic rally-raid, now in its 46th edition, mourns another life
Since 1979, when it was born under the name Paris-Dakar, 28 competitors have died in the race. Twenty-three were racing motorcycles. But the total casualties are 78, including the creator Thierry Sabine, whose helicopter crashed into a dune in Mali in 1986.
Falcon was 45 years old and was born in Tarragona. He did not overcome the consequences of the accident in the hamlet between Al-Henakiyah and Al-Duwadimi, in Saudi Arabia: head trauma with cerebral edema, fracture of the C2 cervical vertebra and cardiorespiratory arrest. The damage to the brain caused by the lack of oxygen is too severe. The Portuguese Alexandre Azinhais was the first to spot him, at km 448 of the special stage.
Having ascertained that he had no pulse, he performed resuscitation manoeuvres for 15 minutes, waiting for help. The news of the death was given by the TwinTrail team for which Falcon raced and which he had founded: "The medical team confirmed that the neurological damage caused by cardiorespiratory arrest at the time of the accident is irreversible. He has left us."
Revived on the circuit, the centaur was transported by helicopter first to Al-Duwadimi, then to the intensive care unit of the hospital in Riyadh. Here other damage caused by the impact on the rocks emerged: five broken ribs and fractures to the left wrist and collarbone.
Despite the urgency, the surgery for the vertebral fracture was postponed because cerebral edema did not allow it. Three days ago, doctors in Riyadh had authorized Falcon's transfer to Spain, already in critical condition. "Carlos was a smiling person, always active, who passionately loved everything he did, especially motorcycles. He left us doing something that was his dream, to race the Dakar. He was having fun, he was happy on the bike. We must remember him for his smile and the happiness he brought to everyone," the team added.
It was his second participation, after having managed to finish the 2022 edition. A computer scientist by profession, Falcon had followed his passion for motorcycles and had founded the company that gave his name to the team, together with his teammate Isaac Feliù, who accompanied him on his adventure at the Dakar. "To his family, loved ones, the organization and the Dakar competitors offer their sincerest condolences," Amaury Sport Organization said.
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