Italian motorcyclist Luca Manca was critically injured in a fall during the sixth stage of the Dakar Rally on Thursday and was placed in an induced coma.
Officials at Del Cobre Hospital in Calama, Chile, where 29-year-old Manca was airlifted, said he sustained critical head injuries and was breathing on a respirator. Officials described his condition as “life-threatening.”
“These are critical injuries,” said Dr Miguel Cortes, who treated Manca following the accident. “He’s on a ventilator and in an induced coma so we can keep him resting and so he does not fight the ventilator.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
Race officials said Manca was likely to be transferred later to the capital Santiago.
Pre-race favorites French driver Stephane Peterhansel and Spanish motorcyclist Marc Coma rebounded from disastrous stages on Wednesday to win on Thursday.
Peterhansel had all but conceded he was out of contention for the overall title after losing over two hours because of mechanical problems when he also lost the overall lead.
Peterhansel came home 47 seconds ahead of Spain’s former two-time world rally champion Carlos Sainz, who had replaced the Frenchman in the overall lead.
“I am surprised that we got such a fast time, having driven through 200km in the dust of other competitors,” Peterhansel said. “We were originally targeting overall victory, but now, it is more complicated.”
Two-time motorcycling champion Coma — who had initially lost 37 minutes on Wednesday owing to mechanical problems before being penalized another 22 minutes for speeding at the beginning of the stage — moved up into fourth overall after his stage win.
Coma came in on his KTM motorbike at least 10 minutes clear of his rivals including France’s overall leader Cyril Despres, who finished second.
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