Rally organizers announced Monday through their official Instagram account that French rider Frédéric Baudry has died following a fall in the sand dunes during the Morocco Desert Rally.
According to a brief statement issued by the organizing committee, the French competitor, who was participating in the race for the second time, suffered a fall at kilometer 97. He was quickly airlifted by a medical helicopter to Zagora hospital, where he unfortunately passed away at 4:45 PM.
The Morocco Desert Rally had begun on Sunday with a 25-kilometer prologue stage. The first stage saw Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah claim victory in the car category driving a Dacia Sandrider, while French driver Sebastien Loeb finished in twelfth place, trailing the race leader by 12 minutes and 47 seconds.