Dakar 2003. 9th stage: Sabha-Zilla

A serious fall pulls Nani Roma out of the Dakar 2003
The Spanish rider suffered a light fracture of the head of the ulna and a strong back trauma
 Zilla (Libya).- Nani Roma suffered an accident at km 130 of the ninth stage and had to retire from the Rally Dakar. ‘I was riding along a road at 160 km/h and entered a right-hand corner that had car tracks. I was driving on the inside but a stone forced me to the outside and there was a big rock. I tried to avoid it turning left but the rear tyre did not pass. I hit against it and the bike threw me off. I guess I must have been driving at 130 km/h and I spun several times. I remember that I got up and then fell on the ground. Meoni arrived and pulled the safety beacon, then Richard Sainct and Marc Coma stopped. Its a real shame because Ive been riding very carefully throughout the rally, without taking too many risks, and a small mistake in a single second messes up the work of a whole year. I neither crashed nor had frights during the whole rally so far, but such is this race’. The doctors on site examined Roma and they informed that the rider had no serious injuries. He was taken to Sabha on a helicopter and from there, on the medical plane, to the bivouac in Zilla. X-rays were made at the organisations field hospital, showing a fracture of the head of the ulna in the right arm. The rider has also a strong back trauma, which causes a lot of pain but the x-rays showed that there is no fracture. ‘There might be a small crush of a lumbar disc caused by a bad posture when falling and theres also a big haematoma, but there is no serious injury’, said a spokesman of Fidelia, the medical company of the race. Nani Roma will be taken tomorrow to Cairo for a magnetic resonance to guaranty 100% that there is no serious problem before heading back to Barcelona. The brave Spanish rider was among the leading riders of the special and had the riders who had taken the start before him (Giovanni Sala and Jean Brucy) already within sight. Then he suffered the accident that impressed all riders who arrived behind him. ‘I saw a cloud of dust and then Nani on the floor. He was 20m in front of the bike that was destroyed. For 2 minutes he was unconscious. Then Richard arrived and later on Marc. Richard said that Marc was staying with him and we left. I couldnt stop thinking how unlucky Nani was on the rally’, said Meoni, visibly affected by the Spaniards accident. Marc Coma had started just before Roma. He let him pass and then Meoni overtook him on a straight. When he arrived at the scene and saw his teammate, he was deeply impressed. ‘I was really scared. I stayed with him until the helicopter arrived and then I went on but I wasnt able to concentrate. I even fell, but without consequences. I was very angry with myself and tried to concentrate on the race. I rode at full speed for some kilometres and then I realised that I still have a lot to learn: I smashed the tyre opening the throttle and there were more than a 100 km left. Then I went bit by bit until the finish line. Nanis accident cannot change my strategy: Im here to learn and it wouldnt make any sense if would start racing like crazy trying to win something. My goal is still to finish and learn for the coming years. The truth is that after seeing Nani on the track I lost a lot of concentration and I had a lot of silly thoughts like what am I doing here?. I was scared but I must go on. Im sure Nani will be here next year to win this race’,said the Catalan rider, who despite stopping to help Nani, his small crash and getting lost for some kilometres, managed to finish sixth and is now twelfth in the overall standings. Isidre Esteve, who suffered a breakdown yesterday and had to pull out of the race, had to wait for the balai truck to arrive, but it was full. They told him that he had to wait for the next one, but Esteve found another solution: they took the motorbike of Alain Jarsands, who was injured, off the truck  and the Spanish rider drove all night, reaching the Sabha bivouac when the race had already started. From there, the organisation provided for a flight to Tripoli, where he is expected to arrive at 10 p.m. Tomorrow, the Catalan rider will take a plane heading back home.