What happens when you crash out of Dakar

Now that I'm a card-carrying dirtbike / dual-sport owner, it's only right that I frequent the massivley busy ADVRider.net forums.

I came across an interesting thread that details the experiences of one forum member who took part in this year's Dakar Rally. It pretty much confirmed what I already knew: when things are going right, Dakar is a challenging test of skill and endurance; when things go wrong, it becomes a mental trial of epic proportions. After watching Charley Boorman's "Race to Dakar" documentary, in which his cameraman endured days of drama after he had to retire, this served as further notice that you don't want to have to withdraw from Dakar, for any reason.

Further proof that Dakar riders are absolutely crazy: Isidre Esteve Pujol joins the list of top moto-rallyists to have a devastating accident. Unlike Fabrizio Meoni, Richard Sainct, Andy Caldecott, John Deacon etc., he survived, but may end up paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life. Fingers crossed for him that once the swelling subsides he'll regain use of legs.