Through the hairs of disaster: Lithuanians clogged the motorcycle on the Dakar, the rider barely got stuck under the wheels

The riders, after an unpleasant incident, felt that perhaps their own reaction was a bit too sharp, as these incidents in Dakar happen constantly. On the other hand, most of them can be avoided by following basic safety rules.

I did not warn other participants

After the end, E. Juškauskas said that everything happened due to a strange coincidence. Another motorcyclist was trapped at the top of the dune in the same place, but the crew warned of the obstacle was unaware that another participant was crashing on the other side.

The former saw us perfectly and even went to the field to pass smoothly, but did not show that his colleague was also trapped behind the dune. Seeing it was there, we passed the dune and obstructed the motorcycle. We practically jumped on it, maybe we just damaged the steering wheel or the handles, ”said the pilot about the unpleasant event.

According to him, the pilot is a newcomer to the Dakar, so it is possible that he did not know the basic rules. For example, if you got stuck in a dangerous place instead of trying to push the motorcycle, you had to put a warning sign at the top of the dune at the beginning. Sand rails or athlete’s helmets are commonly used for this purpose.

Could have ended sadly

By stopping together with A. Paliukėnas, they helped push the motorcycle to the side, because it was stopped in a very dangerous place, right in the path of the cars crossing the dune. He was afraid that the athlete who had not received help would stay where he was.

“If a truck had arrived at that time, I don’t know how it would have ended. This time the athlete himself did not suffer, we obstructed the bike, but then the race continued,” said E. Juškauskas.

The Lithuanian crew incident is a good reminder for all spectators to carefully choose viewing locations and provide participants with information about hazards on the track as quickly and accurately as possible.

The history of the Dakar is marked by a painful accident. In 2020, two motorcyclists died in the most serious injuries of the rally marathon: Paulo Goncalves from Portugal and Edwin Straver from the Netherlands.