Fatal fesh-fesh

Dakar 2019 | Stage 5 | Moquegua > Arequipa
January 11 ^th 2019 - 13:27 [GMT -5]

Simon Marčič will not see the finish of his fifth Dakar rally. This morning, the Slovenian had to throw the towel in. Like many others, the first part of the marathon stage was fatal for the hopes of the KTM rider. His bike could not withstand the infernal fesh fesh encountered on the fourth day of the rally. “I fell after just two kilometres of the special,” explains Simon. “I didn’t hurt myself, but I seriously damaged my navigation system. After that, I didn’t really know where I should go. The cars and trucks caught up with me and I got submerged by the dust and the fesh-fesh. Not only could I not see anything, but all the dust in the air was getting into my bike and it didn’t really appreciate that”. The Slovenian rider was not the only competitor to given in due to the formidable powder all too familiar to competitors who race through deserts. It is the third time that Simon Marčič has exited the Dakar prematurely. Last year, he managed to complete the rally despite a series of technical problems that considerably delayed his progress. This year, his adventure has unfortunately come to a close before the rest day. “It’s terribly disappointing because I started with a new bike equipped with many parts manufactured in Slovenia. There were plenty of people behind me, following and supporting me. It’s sad to have to stop so soon, but that won’t put me off coming back next year. The Dakar is my life’s passion”.