Motorcyclist killed in Dakar rally
South African motorcyclist Elmer Symons takes a curve on his KTM during the first special stage of the Lisbon Dakar rally in Grandola Southern Portugal on January 6, 2007. Symons was killed in a crash on the fourth day of the Dakar Rally in Morocco, organisers said on Tuesday. Reuters |
He was the first competitor to die during this year's race.
The 679 kilometers fourth stage over rugged Moroccan desert terrain was from Er Rachidia to Ouarzazate as the motorcycles and cars taking part in the gruelling annual race headed south for the Senegalese capital Dakar.
Organisers were informed during the morning that there had been an accident at kilometre 142 and a helicopter was despatched to the scene.
Doctors pronounced Symons, who had been riding a KTM 660, dead when they arrived at the scene of the accident, organisers said in a statement.
Symons, a 29-year-old US-based company chief, was taking part in the race for the first time as a competitor having twice completed the course as part of the backup teams. He had been in 18th place overall at the time of the accident.
"We do not know the exact details of what caused the accident or how the motorcyclist died," said rally director Etienne Lavigne. "The accident occurred on a sector that had been labelled dangerous with rippling sand formations.
"The rally's nerve centre in Paris received an automatic satellite alert which indicated that the motorbike had come to an abrubt halt. The pilot was no doubt killed outright."
Symons' body had been taken to a morgue in Er Rachidia, Lavigne added.
The Dakar rally has been mired in controversy since its inception as the Paris to Dakar rally in 1979 with a regular black list of competitors killed during the race, especially motorcyclists.
Last year, Australian motorcyclist Andy Caldecott was killed when he crashed on the ninth stage, with two similar deaths to Spaniard Jose Manuel Perez and Italian Fabrizio Meoni marring the previous year's race.
Symons was the 48th death associated with the rally.
The race has also been slammed for cutting a swathe through desert areas and villages and endangering local lives. Two boys were hit and killed by vehicles last year provoking another outcry that the Dakar should be scrapped.
Schlesser wins
Jean-Louis Schlesser of France in a Ford won the automobile section on the fourth stage of the Dakar Rally on Tuesday.
Spain's Carlos Sainz in a Volkswagen took second place on the 679 kilometre run from Er Rachidia to Ouarzazate and held on to the overall lead in the race.
Another Spaniard, last year's winner Marc Coma, won the motorcycle section.
Already the third stage winner on Monday, Coma brought his KTM home 12 minutes 16 seconds clear of compatriot Isidre Esteve Pujol and 18mins 56secs faster than Frenchman Cyril Despres to take the overall lead in the rally.
Schlesser, the winner in 1999 and 2000, set off from 12th position in his buggy but soon went past eight of the cars in front of him and he set by far the best times over the timed sections.
Sainz had to settle for second place, but he just managed to hold on to first place ahead of South African Giniel de Villiers with the first five grouped within less than 13 minutes of each other.
Veteran driver Lu Ningjun of China Triangle Tire Team, who is competing for the fourth time, finished the stage yesterday after seriously damaging his Nissan Pathfinder when hitting a tree on Tuesday. But he slipped to 131rd in the overall rankings, over five hours behind stage winner Schlesser.
Debutant Liu Bin of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart China reached the base camp at in 66th place, and ranks 52nd overall.
AFP
(China Daily 01/11/2007 page24)
