R.I.P. Andy Caldecott



The Dakar was more than just a competition for Andy Caldecott, it was his dream, his motivation for the past three years, but after failing to collect the necessary funds for the 2006 event, the Australian took the decision to retire from the sport in September.

Two months passed before Repsol KTM called up a week before Christmas with the proposal of replacing Jordi Duran as the water carrier to Marc Coma. It was the best present that he could have hoped for and plans were set in motion.

Organisers ASO helped to get Caldecott the necessary papers, and upon arrival at Lisbon, former Moto champion Nani Roma even lent the Australian his racing suit.

The first week of the Dakar went swimmingly for Caldecott - Marc Coma was leading, the Australian picked up a win on Stage 3 and he had just recharged his batteries on the rest day in Nouakchott.

However, the dream turned to a nightmare on Monday, January 9th when a low speed fall resulted in his death - very much like Fabrizio Meoni's fatal crash 363 days earlier.

"I don't know all the details except that he was struck immediately on the back of the head," Kinigadner told Eurosport.com. "He was on the track after the dunes and - even more tragic - not far away from the point where Fabrizio Meoni died last year.

"It's tragic because Repsol asked him to ride the Dakar as a replacement for Jordi Duran," he added. "It was only just a week before the start, but everybody knew it was his best Christmas present, because the Dakar was his dream."

The incident has effectively brought KTM's Dakar to an end, and with Isidre Esteve Pujol also crashing heavily on the same stage, Marc Coma was the odds on favourite for victory anyway. The question now, however, is whether or not to continue.

"We have decided to leave it up to the teams and riders what they want to do," Kinigadner said. "For sure for KTM the Dakar is over now. We will not follow it anymore from a sporting point of view."


Source: eurosport.com

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