In many ways, the only thing you should expect to happen during a rally is the thing you’re not expecting, but the misfortune which befell Francisco Gomez Pallas was truly shocking.
As he was passing through the 11th and penultimate stage of the 2024 Dakar Rally, Gomez Pallas had one of the most violent crashes you are likely to see someone walking away from (with some assistance, it should be noted).
Somewhat remarkably caught by one of Dakar’s helicopter cameras, Gomez Pallas was riding through a fast, rocky section when his motorcycle literally split in half. He was thrown over the bars as a result, while the bike flipped through the rocks, furthering the already rally-ending damage.
Gomez Pallas is no newcomer to the Dakar, having made his debut at the event back in 2000, but this was his first time taking on the rally in Saudi Arabia, where it moved from South America for the 2020 edition and has remained since.
The Spaniard was competing in the Mission 1,000 category, which exists for manufacturers to test new, carbon-neutral technologies. Gomez Pallas was racing the battery-electric BAT Power Racing.
Gomez Pallas’ incident was one of two notable moments on Stage 11 as, on the same stage, Oran O’Kelly was helped out of a valley by a car co-driver.
The video of the Gomez Pallas incident was uploaded to Dakar’s social media channels but has since been deleted. It has been reuploaded by other social media accounts, such as the one shown above.
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