Dakar Rally organizers yesterday hunted for clues to the cause of the death of motorbike rider Michal Hernik that plunged the race into mourning after only three days.
The 39-year-old Polish rider’s body was found 300m from the desert track with no apparent injury or damage to his motorbike that would indicate an accident, race director Etienne Lavigne said.
Lavigne added that Hernik had no helmet on when he was found.
Photo: EPA
Organizers sent a helicopter to look for Henrik after he failed to arrive at the finish line of Tuesday’s stage between the Argentine towns of Villa Carlos Paz and Chilecito. His satellite tracker had stopped sending signals.
The Pole was taking part in the Dakar Rally for the first time. His was the fifth death since the rally was moved to South America in 2009 over security concerns in the Sahara region and the 24th since the race was created in 1979.
Orlando Terranova sustained the Mini team’s winning streak by claiming his second stage win to move third overall in the auto standings, led by teammate Nasser al-Attiyah.
Al-Attiyah, the 2011 champion and winner of Monday’s stage, finished fifth in Tuesday’s stage which included 284km of specials.
South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers, picked up his third podium finish in three days, ahead of another Toyota driven by Saudi Arabia’s Alrahji Zayed, to stay second overall.
In the motorbike section, Austria’s Matthias Walkner was a surprise winner of his first Dakar stage, ahead of KTM teammate and reigning champion Marc Coma and overall leader Joan Barreda Bort of Spain.
“It was really dangerous because we were on river beds with a lot of stones and broken up tracks all day,” Barreda Bort said.
About 34 vehicles failed to start on Tuesday after falling victim to Monday’s longest stage, among them the 4x4 of French duo Catherine Houles and Sandrine Ridet, the only all-female team in the event.
For Japanese veteran Sugawara Yoshimasa, 73 and taking part in his 33rd Dakar Rally, the race goes on, with yesterday’s fourth stage.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two