Carlo Vellutino is the third Peruvian to say goodbye to the 2018 Dakar Rally due to discomfort in his ribs during the seventh stage that goes from La Paz to Uyuni. The national motorcyclist spoke with RPP Noticias and said that the pain intensified due to an accident he had two days ago upon arriving in the Bolivian capital.
"I abandoned the Dakar in the stage. The problem was that two days ago, when we arrived in La Paz, with 70 km of connection left, a friend's bike broke down and he asked me to tow him. I towed him and it was raining. On the way, the track had a train line that crossed diagonally. When I crossed it, I made a maneuver to avoid slipping, but the bike I was towing didn't do the same, it fell and since I was tied to it, it pulled me and I flew forward. When I fell, my shoulder hit my ribs and I ran out of breath. I arrived in La Paz and on the rest day, I went to the doctor from the organization, they didn't take X-rays and gave me pills," Vellutino recounts.
"Today I decided to leave, I did the connection and entered the special. At the first kilometer, in a very muddy area, I started jumping and the rib pain began. From that moment on, I drove slower and slower. Until kilometer 10, but at kilometer 15 I couldn't go on anymore and I called the helicopter," he added.
