He returned to the Dakar after the fear of his life: “I don’t remember that I ran it”

It is often said that Dakar motorcycle riders are made of different stuff. They all accept enormous risks by riding their motorcycles and driving more than 160 km/h in the scary deserts of Saudi Arabia, full of traps, where they have to read and interpret the directions on the road map without stopping. to press the gas pedal. crazy But at Dakar 2024, there will be a driver who will raise the bar. It was Isaac Feliu. He returned to Dakar 2024 after making his debut in 2022. In that edition he suffered a serious accident that could have cost him his life or left him with permanent scars. Lucky. And two years later, he returned to the ring because he couldn’t remember anything.

RECALL THE VIDEO INTERVIEW, HERE

A pilot who changed his life

The 44-year-old driver from Talavera (Lleida) (05/09/1979) debuted two editions ago (2022) in the toughest race in the world. He turned it into an inspiring project. His is an example that it is possible to change your life and direct it to what you want. It’s not too late for this. Feliu is a computer scientist by profession, But in 2016 he decided to make a complete change of direction to devote himself to his passion., trail bikes. He created his own store specializing in the sale of trail accessories, Twin Trail Racing, where he also offers motorcycle trips and driving courses. off road. He went from working in an office to doing it on the back of a motorcycle.

The pandemic came and its activity was paralyzed. Far from standing, he took advantage of the time and together with his friend and also a member of Twin Trail, Carles Falcón, started a program in Youtube. That led to the production of live videos commenting on each stage of the 2021 Dakar. And that’s where the idea of ​​going to Dakar on a motorcycle came up. Feliu, Falcón and a third member, Albert Martín, made their Dakar debut a year later, in 2022, with the Twin Trail Racing Team in the unassisted category. Everything is perfect, but In episode 9, Isaac experiences the shock of his life: a massive fall in the middle of the desert with a severe blow to the head..

The Catalan He lost consciousness and had a diffuse axonal injury (LAD Grade 2), that is, widespread damage to axons, which are part of neurons. Besides, He had a small bleed on his head and was induced into a coma to monitor his progress. Their bones paid for it too: he broke his C7 vertebra, broke his fibula and injured his toes. He was hospitalized in Saudi Arabia for two weeks before being awakened to be transferred by medical plane to Barcelona. And in the bivouac, MD witnessed the suffering of his team in those days because of the uncertainty created by Isaac’s future. The opponent himself recalled this a few days ago in an interview on the Mundo Deportivo Twitch channel.

“I had 27G hits and some 20G hits. I hit it at 155 km/h. I did not suffer for my life, but with the whole issue of breathing and the brain bleed issue, because they were worried about whether or not I would remember when I was in a coma, whether I would be able to stand, talk, or maybe I would have some kind of physical disability. Luckily, even though it didn’t look very good, I finished perfectly. Well, as it was before,” he explained to MD, ending with a laugh.

The logical thing is that after what happened and being told that he was born again, he would end that adventure. But he can’t bear the fact that he competed in the race of his life and doesn’t remember it.

“I’m going back because I don’t remember riding the Dakar. I was there, there are videos showing that I’ve been there and they’ve told me about it 80,000 times, but it’s not in my memory. I’m like break new ground If my bike stops and that’s it, if I’m fine, we can finish the project, but I feel like the page we turned about going to Dakar hasn’t been turned. And since I’m well enough to try again, I think if we go and “We’re done, we can close the chapter and do other things.”he added.

crazy?

“Whose head can I bring back? Maybe the blow I gave myself was so strong that everything is in my head.”he added with a smile, showing off his sense of humor before addressing Dakar again without help, it is necessary to repair the motorcycle with your hands after stages and sleeping in the tent as part of the category Original by Motul.

“Being alive means you can die”

Not remembering the Dakar, he doesn’t feel fear. But who has the suffering of those days that remains in his memory is his family. Despite this, they did not want to stop him. “My family knows that what matters to me is what makes me happy.. If I’m happy, they can be happy. Therefore, putting barriers to something that they know I think I should do against everyone. And that I’ve been running rallies for years. I fell off a 7 meter bridge at the Hellas Rally in Greece and the following year I came back and finished third. We all have accidents. Going down the stairs at home you trip and break your arm and that doesn’t mean you don’t have to go down the stairs. “Being alive means you can die and you have to always be clear about that.” concluded Feliu, who must be one of the few people who can say that he debuted twice in the Dakar.