Buenos Aires, Jan 15 (IANS): Two former champions of the Dakar Rally bowed out of this year's race following 10th stage, organisers announced.
Spanish auto racer Joan Nani Roma (Mini), winner of the 2004 and 2014 rallies, in the motorbike and car divisions respectively, and Chile's Ignacio Casale (Yamaha), the reigning champion in quads, abandoned this year's rally, each for a different reason, reports Xinhua.
Nani's Mini Wednesday suffered a road accident on the tract between the cities of Calama (Chile) and Salta (Argentina), flipping over three times before coming to a rest. The driver and his copilot, France's Michel Perin, were stunned but unharmed.
After the crash, Nani still hoped to get back in the race, but the Mini was out of commission.
Casale, meanwhile, was holding in second place, four minutes behind the leader, Poland's Rafal Sonik (Yamaha), but was forced out by a mechanical problem with his quad.