Australian Caldecott killed in Dakar Rally
Motorcyclist Andy Caldecott, from Keith, South Australia, was killed overnight during the ninth stage of the Dakar rally, as the famous race was once more plunged into mourning for the death of a competitor.
KTM rider Caldecott, who won the third stage from Nador to Er Rachidia in Morocco last Monday, suffered a fatal neck injury at the 250km point of the 599km stage between Nouakchott and Kiffa in Mauritania.
Caldecott, sixth in last year's race, became the 23rd competitor to die in the event since it started 28 years ago. Last year two motorcyclists died - Spain's Juan Manuel Perez and Italy's Fabrizio Meoni.
The death of such an experienced rider - he was a four-time winner of the Australian rally and has won three Dakar stages in all - will further increase calls for improved equipment to give better protection of
the neck area.
"We learned at 11:57 GMT of the death of Andy Caldecott who fell after 250km," race director Etienne Lavigne said.
"He probably died instantly. We learned of the accident at 11:31 and the helicopter landed at 11:55. His death was confirmed at 11:57. Obviously his family have been informed."
The 41-year-old Caldecott was married with one child.
He had not been scheduled to compete in this year's race but was called in to replace Spaniard Jordi Duran, who pulled out injured in December.
Lavigne added: "All I know is that he died of a neck injury. Following last year's race we introduced more security measures, including imposing a speed limit. Unfortunately fatal accidents can happen even at moderate speeds."
And on the possibility of better protection for
the neck area, Lavigne continued: "We had already seriously considered this type of equipment for all the riders provided they had been tested properly," adding two systems currently being studied had still not been ratified after laboratory tests.
"We even asked KTM to get their riders to wear new equipment during the Dubai rally but the riders' opinion was that it needed to be improved, saying it wasn't practical because it restricted the movement of the head. It was too rigid."
However Eric Bernard, the director of Cyril Despres' team, said efforts should still be made to introduce the equipment. "Any new equipment will initially hamper the riders as was the case when helmets and knee protection were brought in and which everybody still wears today," he said.
Caldecott's team director Jordi Arcarons of Spain said: "This is really difficult to accept and there needs to be more protection for riders but it is too late for Andy. We will have to speak with the riders to help them deal with the situation.
"But you can't change what has already happened and there is always a risk in an event like this."
KTM said on its website that it was at a "loss for words".
"The terrible accidents in the past two years caused us to start with mixed feelings and question our rally engagement," it said.
"The organisers of the Dakar have tried to make the rally safer together with several manufacturers. A tempo limit has been adopted, a GPS system which enables each rider to be located and to allow him to communicate with the organiser. Riders can have more rests now due to shorter tank stops.
"A pretty sporting rally till yesterdays rest day eclipsed the pain of the past - today we were brutally pulled out of our dream to make this rally safe," KTM said, adding: "Our thoughts are with Andy and his family."
Caldecott, who won two stages last year on his way to finishing sixth overall, said after his win last Monday: "I am pretty surprised to have won the stage because I arrived for the Dakar at the last minute without really being prepared for it."
Sad to hear this on the news, I guess we have been watching the broadcasts at 6.30 on SBS.