Loprais confirmed that a spectator at the Dakar died after a collision with his truck

Haraz (Saudi Arabia) – Aleš Loprais confirmed that the spectator who died on Tuesday at the Dakar Rally had a collision with his truck. The organizers published the information about the first tragic accident in the ninth stage of the 45th edition of the famous competition on Tuesday evening. The leading driver of the truck category published a video and footage of the accident on Facebook early Wednesday morning and confirmed that he was an unwitting participant.

“I am terribly sorry and it will be with me for the rest of my life,” said Loprais, who did not notice the collision at all in the truck. The 69-year-old rally fan from Italy was behind a dune hidden from the pilot’s view at the time of the accident. He succumbed to his injuries while being transported to the hospital by rescue helicopter.

“Unfortunately, he found a place under the dune and we didn’t notice him. I would like to express my condolences to his family, loved ones and friends,” said Loprais, who celebrated his 43rd birthday on Tuesday. According to the information he received from the organizers, the spectator felt nauseous two to three hours after the accident and had a heart attack during transport to the hospital.

He found out about the accident in the bivouac when he was about to go to sleep. “A human life was extinguished, and de facto my doing, because I was spinning the wheel. But I have to say that I had no idea about it. Neither did anyone in the crew. We have onboard and external videos to prove it. However, it does not change the fact that that human life has been extinguished,” Loprais stated sadly.

According to available data, around eight dozen people have lost their lives in the Dakar Rally since 1979, the exact number of deaths varies according to different sources. There were 27 competitors, the rest were members of the entourage, journalists and spectators. In 1986, Dakar Rally founder Thierry Sabine did not survive a helicopter crash during the race.

motoring death rally Dakar