It is a troubling affair that is already hitting the Dakar which has just started on January 1 from Jeddah in central western Saudi Arabia. A case that ASO (Amaury Sport Organization) has just unveiled this Saturday, three days after the facts.
On Wednesday, when everyone started to arrive at the start, a service car from the French “Sodicars” team exploded. According to witnesses, this would have occurred under the vehicle, not at the level of the engine. The incident took place while the car was on its way to pre-race scrutineering. Six people were on board. The airbags were all triggered and the explosion allegedly caused a hole in the floor of the vehicle.
“A Team Sodicars assistance vehicle, leaving the hotel, was immobilized suddenly because of an explosion, and the vehicle caught fire,” said David Castera, the boss of the rally. “The vehicle was suddenly stopped by a sudden explosion, the origin of which is still unknown at this stage. The Saudi police immediately went there and began their investigations, ruling out any possibility, including that of a malicious act, ”adds a statement from the organizer ASO.
The thesis of the deliberate installation of an explosive device under this vehicle is therefore not excluded. « In this context, the Saudi authorities have mobilized and are carrying out a very thorough investigation. While waiting for a response, we cannot rule out a malicious act, so we decided with the authorities to greatly increase the security measures on the rally. » adds David Castera in an interview with France TV Sport. Later in the evening of Saturday, in a tweet, the Saudi Minister of the Interior qualified by dismissing any “suspicion of a criminal order” to explain this “accident”. According to him, five French people were in this assistance car, “one of whom was hospitalized and is in a reassuring state”.
The victim of the explosion is known. This is Philippe Boutron. He is taking part in his ninth Dakar. 61 years old, he is president of the football club of the US Orléans. “Philippe Boutron has a very serious leg injury. He was operated on today (Saturday), he is better and he should return to France in the next few days. We are obviously thinking of him at the moment, ”concludes the Dakar boss. The organizers did not give more details on the severity of his injuries.