KTM lost one of its great assets for Dakar’24

The intensive final training sessions in preparation for the Dakar’24 Rally in California are taking a toll on the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, which lost to the 2018 champion and runner-up in 2017 and 2019, the Austrian, for 2024 that motorcycle edition. Matthias Walkner. The current champion is also affected Kevin Benavides due to another fall, but in principle the injury to the left leg of the Argentine is not too serious.

As reported by the official KTM team on December 5, while training with the team in California, Walkner fell from his KTM 450 RALLY, causing open fractures to the tibia, fibula and especially complex fractures in upper part of the ankle. left foot. He was transferred to a hospital in Palm Springs and underwent surgery to insert an external fixator to stabilize the fractures. He has a second operation pending once he gets home to Austria and the swelling goes down. His rehabilitation is still long.

On his Instagram account, the Austrian explained that “visibility was not good because of the dust from the front drivers and the flat light. I couldn’t see a 5-meter cut, I jumped and landed on the flat.”

Two days earlier, on December 3, Argentine Kevin Benavides also injured his left leg during scheduled training in the United States, but the injury was not considered too serious, and there was a month left. , Benavides is expected to make a positive recovery and Taken. take part in the rally to defend your title.

“It’s been a very difficult few days for the team in the United States. The training for the Dakar has been very good and all the drivers have worked hard. Obviously, these two incidents have been a heavy blow for the team, but we continue to hope and will do everything we can to be as strong as possible for the Dakar. The entire team wishes Matthias and Kevin a speedy and complete recovery,” he commented. Andreas Holzl, team manager