Dakar Rally motorcyclist Carles Falcon dies a week after crash

The Spanish biker had been in an induced coma after crashing on stage two and has sadly passed away

Spanish motorcyclist Carles Falcon has died a week after a major crash in stage two of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.

Falcon, 45, received immediate assistance from a medical team arriving via helicopter after crashing 15km short of the end of the 463km stage, between Al Henakiyah and Al Duwadimi in Saudi Arabia, on Sunday 7 January.

The race director, of an event known in motorsport circles as the world’s toughest race, revealed Falcon did not have a pulse when the team arrived after being notified of the incident by another rider. Falcon was then resuscitated by the first doctor on the scene and went to hospital in Riyadh.

However, Falcon’s team announced on social media on Monday that the 45-year-old has sadly passed away.

“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,” his TwinTrail Racing team said, in a statement on Instagram.

“Carles was a smiling person, always active, who passionately enjoyed everything he did, especially motorbikes.

“He has left us doing something that was his dream, racing the Dakar.”

Additional reporting by Reuters