Peterhansel is unconscious and has no memory of his accident!

Peterhansel gathered the press present at the bivouac in Riyadh inside an Audi-owned motorhome. There, the French pilot, who is still depressed after the accident he suffered on stage 6 of the Dakar 2023, wants to start by revealing what he felt at that moment and everything that happened at each point. The Frenchman said he was attacking to get closer to Nasser Al-Attiyah’s lead when he jumped a dune and crashed. There, he noted that he was “unconscious for several minutes” and that when he awoke he “didn’t remember anything from the 5 minutes before the crash.” He added that he did not regain his memories for the next 15 minutes. Luckily, when he was transferred to the hospital, he underwent a medical check-up that ruled out any injuries.

Inside the car, Peterhansel didn’t know what had happened, but when he got out he began to understand what might have happened when he saw his co-driver, Edouard Boulanger, lying on the ground with his back hurting. There, he asked her if she could move her legs and when she received a positive answer, she calmed down. Later, he saw Carlos Sainz injured a little more. The helicopter took its navigator to the hospital and the result was a fractured vertebra (D5) that required intervention (he will fly to Munich this Sunday to be operated on by a specialist). In this sense, he reassured everyone by making sure that it was not a complicated operation and that the fracture was clean, so his co-pilot should have a “quick” recovery. In addition, Peterhansel does not want to blame the roadbook for not pointing out the danger in that dune, and he is entirely to blame: “We have to drive with enough ability to see an obstacle. And if you don’t see the obstacle, it means you made a mistake. So it’s not the organization’s mistake, but the driver’s mistake.”

PETERHANSEL’S EXPLANATION

“You all know that the start of the Dakar is quite complicated because on the first and second day we lost a lot of time, about 40 minutes in two days. But days 4 and 5 were not so bad, better, and we came back to second about 20 minutes behind Nasser. So it was necessary to push again to try to catch him to try to win the Dakar. That’s why we started stage 6 yesterday with a lot of motivation and very good sensations in the car. After 200 kilometers we overtake Carlos (Sainz) and when you overtake him you know you are doing well because Carlos is fast. We got to neutralization and he was first and he (Carlos) was behind. We came out of neutralization and after 7 o 8 kilometers we had an accident. In the accident, unfortunately, I lost consciousness. I pushed the accelerator to the maximum (unintentionally) because my foot was on the accelerator pedal. Edouard (Bou langer) the handbrake and turned off the engine. We did a 360º and when I woke up a few minutes later I couldn’t remember what happened. I lost my memory for 5 minutes before the accident and for the next 15 minutes I can’t remember anything. When I got out of the car, I saw Edouard lying on his back with back pain. And I understood that we had an accident. I quickly asked (Edouard) if he could feel his arms and legs and he said: ‘Ok, yes, I can feel them.’ The helicopter arrived quickly. At the same time I saw the car of Carlos (Sainz) about 50 meters after a big downhill. The suspension is broken. So I’m really confused, because I don’t understand what happened.”

“Edouard felt very sick and the excellent medical team of the organization took him by helicopter to the hospital and 30 minutes later a second helicopter took me to the hospital to do a complete check-up. Unfortunately, Edouard has a broken vertebra, D5. It’s a very stable fracture, it’s not complicated, so it’s not a problem, but he needs an operation, so he will fly to Munich tomorrow to be operated by a specialist. He was young, it was a simple operation, so he recovered quickly. But of course it’s very disappointing to finish the race like this, especially with two cars in the same place. It’s not the same accident, but the same place. We don’t touch each other. I flew, Carlos was behind and he jumped the same obstacle. He had an accident. I feel something strange especially when you don’t remember what happened. Usually, after an accident you usually remember the second before and what happened, if you lost control or something like that. But I can’t remember. Maybe it’s better that way.”

“I’m very upset about the accident and I want to apologize to the team because at the start, apart from the tire problems, the car was perfect. This is a car ready to win or fight for victory. I am very happy with the performance of the car but unfortunately it was not possible to get a good result this year. This is the situation. It’s not easy to accept, but it’s true. I accept the rules of the game. I know that the Dakar is complicated. We know that when we fight for success we have to take some risks and unfortunately, this year has not been our year. We have to accept it. Edouard will recover soon and we will be ready for the next match”.

WILL NOT STOP RUNNING YET

“My plan was to retire if I won the Dakar. Unfortunately it was not possible this year and now of course we have to see, but this is not the time. It is more clear that if he wins, it is time to stop. But if not I won, I will not stop.”

“I want to stop if I win this Dakar because stopping after the victory is the best solution. It is because I have to end my career in the best possible way, with the best victory or result. It is not about on motivation. It’s about leaving with the greatest satisfaction”.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAR

“We have to wait until the end of the Dakar to plan for the future, but now I don’t want to say anything about the program, testing or anything like that.”

THE SEAT

“Audi uses another technology, quite similar to F1, carbon, with a seat that conforms to our body. I think there is no really good solution and we have to look at it again. Both Carlos and Lucas had an impact and nothing was done. It’s not easy to draw conclusions.”

THE RHYTHM HE BROUGHT TO THE POINT

“It’s not a broken dune, it’s less… but it’s one of those dunes that if you go 60 or 70 km/h, the car sticks to the ground. But if you get to 120 or 140… you’ll fly. It’s a matter of speed. It is not easy to see. Maybe I wasn’t 100% focused on the line, or maybe I looked in the rear-view mirror too many times… I have no explanation because I don’t remember anything, as I said”.

BARREDA SAYS THE DANGER IS NOT IN THE ROADBOOK

“The problem with the roadbook is when the organization car stops there… I think it’s a long left-hander and immediately after it goes down. When you pass a car at 60 km/h, you stay inside the curve. But at the speed we’re going in, you’ll be out of the curve. It was not easy for me to see. But I don’t want to say it’s a mistake of the organization or the roadbook. We need to drive with enough ability to see the obstacle. And if you don’t see the obstacle, it means you made a mistake. So it’s not the organization’s fault, it’s the driver’s fault.”

THE CAR IS OK

“Yes Yes. I must say that for many years, it is no longer the car, but depends more on the body of the driver. We have pushed the last few days on the sands and camel grass and there are many impacts. It is very difficult and all drivers agreed. There is no problem with the cars either, but with the bodies of the drivers. And with the impact at the end it is not always easy to fight the G-Forces. The car is very strong but the people inside…”

THIS WAS NOT THE HARDEST MOMENT OF HIS CAREER

“No. It’s not easy because you feel responsible for the accident and responsible for Edouard’s pain and injury. It’s not easy to accept, but in the end you can’t fix it. Edouard’s vertebra is broken and the doctors told me that it’s something that can be solved and it has no consequences for the future. But you feel responsible. But it’s not my worst moment. Memory loss? either. In the past, I’ve experienced something more difficult than this, that losing a motorcycle friend who died in an accident in front of me. That’s another level. That’s 3, 4, or 5 levels up. It’s not good (yesterday), but in a few months I think I will quickly forget it.”